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What makes a license compatible with the GPL?
Licenses can also be made compatible explicitly by mentioning this in the source license. E.g. the GPLv3 explicitly allows software under the GPLv3 to be combined with AGPLv3 software. The GPLv3 is also compatible with later versions of the GPL iff the copyright holder “activates” this feature. This is the case for GNU Octave:
What does it mean when a license is compatible with another?
License compatibility means that code licensed under one license can also be used under another license. This is a bit confusing because this compatibility usually only goes in one direction: if A is compatible with B, that doesn’t imply that B is compatible with A.
Can a patent license be granted under GPLv3?
If a user decides to take the project’s code (incorporating my contributions) under GPLv3, does that mean I’ve automatically granted GPLv3’s explicit patent license to that user? If I distribute a GPLv3-covered program, can I provide a warranty that is voided if the user modifies the program?
How is the BSD GPL-compatible with GPL2?
GPL2 has similar language in eg s1. The requirement to “keep a copyright notice, keep a disclaimer, tell future users they need to keep both” is thus entirely in keeping with the GPL. If the list you had to keep intact contained more than that then it would indeed not be compatible, as the old advertising-clause BSD licence was not.
By “GPL-compatible”, they mean, a license that does not conflict with the GPL. A less restrictive license, like the Boost license, is “compatible” with the GPL because it doesn’t restrict users of the code from doing anything that the GPL would allow a user to do.
Can a GPL library be used with a LGPL library?
LGPL libraries can be used also with commercial applications / software; the difference between LGPL, and GPL licensed code is that in the first case the software using a LGPL library can be licensed under a different license (including a custom one). If you use a GPL library, then also the software using the library must be licensed under GPL.
Can a module be released under the GPL?
The GPL says that the whole combined program has to be released under the GPL. So your module has to be available for use under the GPL. But you can give additional permission for the use of your code. You can, if you wish, release your module under a license which is more lax than the GPL but compatible with the GPL.
What does GPL stand for in the GNU license?
“GPL” stands for “General Public License”. The most widespread such license is the GNU General Public License, or GNU GPL for short. This can be further shortened to “GPL”, when it is understood that the GNU GPL is the one intended.