[QGIS-Developer] Independent GPL AutoCAD plugin using QGIS-inspired geospatial concepts Dear QGIS Development Community,

[Vincent Picavet]

Hello Juan,


I am not 100% sure how AutoCAD plugins work, but I seriously doubt they can be licenced as GPL.


If you link ( or Python `import` ) modules within your plugins, they have to be compatible with GPL. Therefore any proprietary module / binary linked would not correspond to that requirement.


Said otherwise, you cannot have `from pyautocad import Autocad` in a GPL-licenced plugin.


You are free to reuse any functional workflows from QGIS and other concepts, as this is not subject to copyright. But any reuse of code from QGIS or QGIS plugins would have to be licenced under the original licence ( GPLv2+ usually ), and any linked code should be GPL-compatible.

Also a grey-dark area would be any code taken from QGIS and translated to C# : that would most probably have to be under the same GPLv2+ licence.


There are ways to avoid "GPL contamination" between software components, but this kind of advice would not help the opensource community, so I will let you figure that out yourself.


Best regards,

Vincent




On 10/06/2026 13:20, juan pedro escapil via QGIS-Developer wrote:
>
> My name is Juan Pedro Escapil, from Argentina.
>
> I am developing an independent GPL-licensed AutoCAD 2013 plugin for geospatial work. The project is not an official QGIS plugin and is not presented as endorsed or certified by QGIS. It is an independent AutoCAD plugin.
>
> The purpose of the plugin is to bring GIS-style workflows into AutoCAD, including:
>
> * XYZ / TMS / WMS raster map sources
> * WFS vector import
> * sector-based map preview
> * selected-area high-resolution export
> * georeferenced JPG + JGW + PRJ + VRT output
> * Argentine public sources such as IGN and ARBA WFS
>
> I want to be transparent with the QGIS community. The project is inspired by QGIS workflows and uses common open geospatial service concepts also supported by QGIS. If I later reuse or adapt any actual QGIS source code, I will preserve the original copyright notices, clearly document the specific source files/functions used, and keep the derived work under a GPL-compatible license.
>
> The plugin will include:
>
> * GPL license notice
> * source code distribution
> * credits file
> * clear statement that it is not affiliated with or endorsed by QGIS.ORG <http://qgis.org/>
> * source attribution for any QGIS code actually reused
>
> I would appreciate any guidance from the QGIS community on the proper attribution wording and best practices for respecting QGIS licensing and trademark guidelines.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Arq. Juan Pedro Escapil
> Argentina
> +542214097567
>
>
> Enviado desde Outlook <http://aka.ms/weboutlook>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/qgis-developer/attachments/20260610/61306456/attachment.htm>