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SoftwareLicensing » History » Version 2

laforge, 02/19/2016 10:47 PM
add notice on GPLv2+ for libraries

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= Software Licensing =
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== OpenBSC executable programs ==
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The following notes apply to software described on this wiki, developed as part of the Osmocom project.
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Specifically, it applies to OpenBSC, osmo-bsc, osmo-sgsn, gb_proxy, ipaccess-config, bsc_nat, bsc_mgcp, ...
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For reasons of simplicity, we always call it ''OpenBSC'' here.
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'''OpenBSC is copyrighted software like any other computer program.  In order to use OpenBSC, you need
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a license from the copyright holders.'''
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If you do not arrange for a different license with the copyright holders, the software ships with a
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default license: The [http://fsf.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html AGPLv3] (GNU Affero General Public License, Version 3).
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==== General idea behind the License ====
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The general idea behind our licensing model is as follows:  You receive the full source code of
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the OpenBSC software and can use it like you see fit, '''but''' we require you to release the
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source code of any modifications or derivative work you create.
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With AGPL, it does not matter whether you ever distribute the OpenBSC software.  As soon as you
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provide a GSM network using OpenBSC, all users are entitled to receive a copy of the license text
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and the ''complete corresponding source code'' of the very version you are using to run the GSM network with.
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=== Alternative Licenses / Dual Licensing ===
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If you do not agree to the abovementioned conditions, you may contact the copyright holders and apply for
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an alternative license.  Business details will depend on your intended use case, size of the installation, ...
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== libosmocore ==
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The {{{libosmocore}}}. {{{libosmovty}}} and {{{libosmogsm}}} libraries are licensed under GPLv2+, i.e.
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"GNU GPL Version 2, or any later version".  This means at the time of this writing, you can license them
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under either [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html GPLv2] or [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html GPLv3].
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As both GPLv2 and GPLv3 are ''strong copyleft'' licenses, it means that creating a derivative work of
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the library and an executable program will require that executable program to be under the same GPL version.
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If you use the libraries together with the Osmocom executable programs (see above), then libosmocore
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will be licensed under GPLv3, which is compatible with the AGPLv3 of the executable programs.
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