[QGIS-Developer] Microsoft Store distribution for QGIS

[Laurențiu Nicola]

Greg,

Windows makes it possible to extract and copy non-DRMed applications that you have installed. Is it easy? Maybe not, but it's comparable to copying a Linux package, and is a lot more likely to work compared to an RPM I might try to send someone. As long as Microsoft doesn't interfere with the GPL license, it's all right, even if copying the apps might require specialized tools [1]. This has been discussed before, e.g. in [2].

Laurentiu

[1]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/appxpkg/make-appx-package--makeappx-exe-
[2]: https://jbkempf.com/blog/Windows-Store-and-the-GPL/

On Wed, Aug 26, 2026, at 16:10, Greg Troxel via QGIS-Developer wrote:
> David Strip <qgis-dev at stripfamily.net> writes:
>
>> On 8/25/2026 4:54 PM, Greg Troxel wrote:
>>
>>>  Great, the next thing to check is if the terms are actually compatible.
>>> Enough people are fuzzy on licensing and willing to break the rules
>>> because they think app stores are important, that one can't conclude
>>> it's ok.
>>
>> Usual caveat - I am not a lawyer.
>> The publisher agreement is here.
>>
>> The relevant section appears to be 3b - 
>>
>>  (b)   Third-Party Rights/Open-Source Licenses.  Your Offer and Offer Assets must not infringe or misappropriate any
>>  intellectual property or personal right of any third party. If you license any portion of your Offer from a third
>>  party or under any open-source license, you are solely responsible for compliance with such terms and for ensuring
>>  that Microsoft, in its capacity as your agent or commissionaire, has the necessary rights to perform its obligations
>>  to you under this Agreement. You are, at your sole cost and expense, responsible for securing, reporting, and
>>  maintaining all necessary rights, clearances, and consents and paying all licensing fees (including applicable public
>>  performance license fees or other consideration associated with providing music or video (and all content embodied
>>  therein) in and through your Offer), and for undertaking all related reporting obligations.
>>
>> For open source licenses, MS appears to have removed itself from the licensing pathway between the person/organization
>> submitting the product and the customer. It is thus incumbent on the submitter to provide the means for meeting the
>> license requirements, such as providing links to the license and source code. Perhaps these links could be in the listing
>> in the MS Store, or in the about screen of the app. This is already the case for the license in QGIS. 
>>
>> Obviously an actual lawyer would need to verify this interpretation. 
>
> There are two sets of terms to consider.  One is the agreement between
> the "app developer" and MS, and the other is between MS and people that
> obtain software from the store.
>
> The latter I think is at:
>   https://www.microsoft.com/en-mt/store/b/terms-of-sale
>
> which does say
>
>   12. Software Licences and Use Rights.
>
>   Software and other Digital Content, Digital Services and Additional
>   Services made available to you through the Store are licensed, not
>   sold, to you. Applications downloaded directly from the Store are
>   subject to the Standard Application Licence Terms (“SALT”) unless
>   different licence terms are provided with the application, with the
>   exception of applications downloaded from the Office Store, which are
>   not governed by the SALT and have separate license terms that are
>   provided with the application.)
>
> This is a key point and seems ok.
>
>   Digital Content and Digital Services and Additional Services obtained
>   through the Store are subject to the Usage Rules for Digital
>   Goods. You understand and acknowledge that your rights with respect to
>   Digital Content, Digital Services and Additional Services are limited
>   by the Terms of Sale, copyright law and the Usage Rules for Digital
>   Goods. Software licences purchased through the Store are subject to
>   the licence agreement that accompanies the software, and you will be
>   required to agree to the licence agreement before you purchase,
>   download or install the software. Any reproduction or redistribution
>   of Digital Content, Digital Services and Additional Services not in
>   accordance with the relevant licence terms or usage rules, and
>   applicable law is expressly prohibited and may result in severe
>   penalties. Violators risk prosecution to the maximum extent of the
>   law.
>
> This "Usage Rules" bit sounds quite possibly not OK.  The link does not
> load for me.
>
>   Please contact Microsoft Store support if you would like a copy of the
>   applicable licence agreement or warranty for boxed software, at no
>   cost, before you open any software packaging.
>
>   Other Terms and Conditions. In addition to software and other
>   downloadable Products, Microsoft may offer to you other Products and
>   Additional Services available in the Store, subject to separate end
>   user licence agreements, terms of use, terms of service or other terms
>   and conditions. If you purchase, install or use those Products or
>   Additional Services, you may be required to also accept those terms as
>   a condition of purchase, installation or use.
>
>
>
> I think a big open question is if someone downloads e.g. gimp from the
> MS Online Store, can they then make a copy of those bits and send them
> to someone else?  Or are there technical barriers to exercising one's
> rights under the Free Software license?
> _______________________________________________
> QGIS-Developer mailing list
> QGIS-Developer at lists.osgeo.org
> List info: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer