Newest Questions
5,071 questions
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looking for a copyleft license that allows myself to `#include` my library in proprietary closed-source applications but not others unless granted [duplicate]
I’m looking for a copyleft license or CLA for a library I’m developing that meets the following requirements:
The library itself remains fully copyleft (e.g., GPLv3).
Only I, the original author, am ...
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12
votes
1
answer
140
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What does it mean, if a C or C++ header with non-trivial code is LGPL licensed?
LGPL has certain requirements for software that uses LGPL libraries. The most common way to satisfy these in otherwise closed-source software is to supply the LGPL library as a dynamic library, which ...
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7
votes
2
answers
2k
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MIT licensing inquiry
I'm working on a project that I'm going to use the MIT license for. I'm including code from another project that's not mine also licensed under MIT. I'm getting a tiny bit confused how my license ...
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8
votes
2
answers
1k
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Can I host and use modified GPL JavaScript on my website while keeping my main app closed source?
I’m building a commercial web application that runs entirely in the browser. I want to use a JavaScript library that is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL v2 or later).
Here’s my plan:
...
- 181
14
votes
3
answers
3k
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(Why) is AI generated code/work allowed to be released under free/open/libre licenses?
It seems more and more people see no problem with pushing or otherwise releasing LLM-generated code/work as their own. However, it occurs to me, that every free/open/libre licence I can think of ...
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2
votes
1
answer
51
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What are effective, license-compliant methods to integrate AGPL software into cloud-based research tools?
Suppose a web-based scientific application uses an AGPL-licensed computational backend. What practical strategies allow the frontend to interface with that backend without triggering broader AGPL ...
3
votes
1
answer
95
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GPL-ed and proprietary JS on the same page: "mere aggregation" or not?
Say an individual builds a personal blogging site using Wordpress, with a contact form plugin that includes some JavaScript on the contact form page. This plugin is available, as a whole, under the ...
9
votes
3
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2k
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License for a programming language
I have created a programming language (an interpreter, a dedicated text-editor, reference manual and documentation, including usage examples), and I would like to publish it. I am interested in the ...
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5
votes
1
answer
70
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My Own Qt Creator Plugin License(Qt Company GPL Exception 1.0)
I would like to create a plugin for Qt Creator, and I understand the term from Qt Company GPL Exception 1.0(https://github.com/qt-creator/qt-creator/blob/master/LICENSES/LICENSE.GPL3-EXCEPT)
Exception ...
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22
votes
2
answers
5k
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How do open-source projects prevent “design drift” when hundreds of contributors make small changes?
Over time, even well-managed projects risk losing design consistency as contributors add code in slightly different styles. Beyond code review, what strategies keep large open-source projects ...
2
votes
1
answer
94
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CC BY-SA 4.0: contribution and distribution clarification
What “distribute” and “contributions” mean exactly for the CC BY-SA 4.0 license?
Let’s take a real example for the sake of illustration: I intend to use the data provided by an online dictionary ...
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0
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3
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108
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Am I allowed to sell usage-licenses to software licensed under a open-source-license? [duplicate]
(I can not imagine this was not asked before, maybe I was just too stupid to find it. For this case I am thankful for a hint/link.)
I have read texts that say you can earn money with that in the ...
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8
votes
1
answer
899
views
What license to use when extending a pre-existing library?
I have built a class for extending PHPMailer and wish to release it via composer/packagist.
<?php
/**
* PHPMailerMonkeyZeus - Description.
*
* @author MonkeyZeus
* @copyright 2025 MonkeyZeus
...
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15
votes
2
answers
1k
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Can I make CC-BY-NC-ND documents searchable?
I know of a website which provides photocopied documents under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.
Can I perform OCR on the documents and set up a publicly accessible website where users can search for strings, and ...
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4
votes
1
answer
155
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What "altered" and "include" stands for in licensing?
Let's suppose I'm creating a piece of software where I use a library, like SDL2 for gaming. After I've finished my work, I want to distribute the binaries of my program on the internet, publish the ...
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