[Qgis-user] QGIS Licensing in Production Development

[Fernando M. Roxo da Motta]

On Mon, 8 Dec 2025 22:20:10 -0500, Mustafa Cayci via QGIS-User
<qgis-user at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:


  Hi Mustafa,

  You got already ver robust answer to your questions in other answers.
 Here I will just summarize some points to observe.

  If your software is derived from a GPL code, as stated by the license
itself, your software has to be GPL licensed as well and it has a series
of obligations (described in license) about full source code
distribution.

  If our software is developed using LGPL libraries, again as stated
in in the license itself, ou may keep your code closed, but there is a
series of obligations described in the license itself.  This is how a
large number of commercial closed source software (e.g. Oracle
Database) can exist and be sold targeting platforms like Linux based
systems

  If your is derived, or based, of proprietary/comercial software with
non GPL/LGPL licenses ou have to study those licenses and act according
to them. 

  Bundle QGis with your software may not be a problem, provided that
you fulfill your obligations as stated by the license.  Other
possibility is ou sell/license your software only and let the the
clients know what version it will support.

  If you are investing in commercialization of your software, as
suggested in other answer to our questions, the better way to be safe
is consult a lawyer specialized in IP and Licensing.  


  HTH

> Dear QGIS Team,
> 
> I am planning to build a commercial solution for my customers that
> uses QGIS together with an object detection model (YOLO). The idea is
> to:
> 
> Use QGIS as the main GIS platform / interface,
> Integrate or call a YOLO-based object detection workflow (e.g., as a
> plugin, script, or external service),
> Package this as a solution that I sell to my customers (either as a
> service or as software they install).
> 
> I would be grateful if you could clarify the following points:
> 
> Licensing and redistribution
> 
> QGIS is licensed under the GPL. Under what conditions may I bundle
> QGIS with my own code and distribute it as part of a commercial
> offering? If I write a QGIS plugin that uses YOLO (for example, a
> Python plugin calling external inference code or a remote API), does
> this plugin also need to be GPL-licensed, or can it be under a
> different license? Are there specific requirements for how I should
> provide source code, notices, or license information when
> distributing QGIS together with my own software?
> 
> Commercial use and charging customers
> 
> Am I allowed to charge customers for installation, customization,
> training, and ongoing support of a QGIS-based solution that includes
> my own YOLO-based object detection tools?
> 
> Thank you very much for your time.
> Mustafa








  Roxo

-- 
---------------- Non luctari, ludare -------------------+ WYSIWYG
Fernando M. Roxo da Motta <petro at roxo.org>              | Editor?
Except where explicitly stated I speak on my own behalf.|  VI !!
                PU5RXO | PX5Q6048                       | I see text,
------------ Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?-------------+ I get text!