[Qgis-psc] Questions about QGIS API licensing for a company internal use only

[Nyall Dawson]

On Thu, 9 Dec 2021 at 21:13, Jürgen E. Fischer <jef at norbit.de> wrote:
>
> On Thu, 09. Dec 2021 at 09:40:24 +1000, Nyall Dawson wrote:
> > On Thu, 9 Dec 2021 at 06:25, Rafael Abrantes Machado <rafael.a.machado at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > I would like to make sure if we could use QGIS C++ API in our software,
> > > which is not (and cannot be) GPLv2, but it is for internal use only (will
> > > never be distributed).
>
> > > I read a lot about licensing and it seems to me that this would be an
> > > acceptable scenario but I thought it would be better to check with a formal
> > > QGIS channel.
>
> > No, this is NOT a legal use of the QGIS libraries. Regardless of how you use
> > or distribute your software it must still use a GPLv2 or later compatible
> > licence.
>
> Why?  A license defines what the receiver of a work is allowed to do with it.
> If a work is not given away, there's no need for a license.
>
> The GPL doesn't restrict use, but redistribution and that apparently not taking
> place in this case.
>
> I don't see why using the API should be different from any other use of QGIS.

Well.. IANAL ;)

Strikes me though that we should make an official page somewhere on
the qgis.org homepage with "FAQs about QGIS licensing", and include
things like this and answers to that frequent annoying question about
the licensing of maps made by QGIS....

Nyall

>
>
> Jürgen
>
> --
> Jürgen E. Fischer           norBIT GmbH             Tel. +49-4931-918175-31
> Dipl.-Inf. (FH)             Rheinstraße 13          Fax. +49-4931-918175-50
> Software Engineer           D-26506 Norden            https://www.norbit.de
> QGIS release manager (PSC)  Germany                 IRC: jef on Libera|OFTC
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