However, the new license also offers several improvements over its predecessor. But just like the gpl founders did not imagine the cloud, the agpl creators did not imagine that open source software could be created in a proprietary organization and that the agpl license would ensure that a diverse community would never form or take a really long. Both licenses have the same copyleft scope, but materially differ in one important way. In fact, you can even use an agpl library in a gpl program, as long as you make the agpl code available whenever its conditions are met e. The agpl v3 is an opensource license that guarantees the freedom to share and change the software, and to make sure it remains free software for all its users.
Most open source issues arise upon distribution of software under an open source license. Affero and gnu affero based on the gnu gpl version 2, version 1 of the affero gpl was published in 2002 by affero, inc. Sep 03, 2016 gpl, also known as copyleft, grants permission to reuse or modify the source code to make derivative works, but if you distribute your program to others, it requires you to license your derivative work under the gpl too. Today, however, many programmers and companies are passing on the gpl in favor of alternative open source licenses. Jun 05, 2017 the gnu general public license, or gpl, played a key role in the development of free and open source software. Dont believe the hype, agpl open source licensing is toxic. Jan 24, 2019 gnu general public license gpl the gnus general public license is the most popular open source license around. Gnu general public license version 3 open source initiative. The free software foundation today released the second discussion draft of the gnu affero general public license gnu agpl. Jul 15, 2015 for example, canonical used launchpad as its project hosting software for five years before opening its code under the the affero gpl in july 2009. It seems like every open source library has its own different type of license. The free software foundation now manages the licence itself, and has added gnu to its name to reflect this.
This is a spiritual successor to the original affero general public license, which was based on gplv2 and also had an additional provision so that people using the software over a network could get its source. Along with closely related licenses, like the lesser general public license lgpl and affero general public license agpl, the gpl became the legal tool that helped major free and open source software projects to thrive in the 1980s and 1990s. As to why you might need it, the creators of the affero general public license have this to say. There is an earlier open source license known as the affero general public license that was not published by the free software foundation, which is not addressed in this article. Open source licenses grant permission for anybody to use, modify, and share licensed software for any purpose, subject to conditions preserving the provenance and openness of the software. The gnu affero general public license version 3 agplv3 is a copyleft license nearly identical to the gplv3. Oct 16, 2019 to date, the fsf has also released the affero gpl, which facilitates programs running on servers, and the lgpl lesser general public license, a more permissive form of the gplv3. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general. How to achieve vendor lockin with a legit open source. See gnu general public license and free software foundation.
How to choose the best license for your open source software. Saass means that users use someone elses web server to do their own computing. The past, present and future of the gpl in open source software. Gnu affero general public license version 3 open source. Gnu affero general public license article about gnu affero. The agplv3s section states an additional condition not present in gplv2 or gplv3. Canonical and free software foundation come to opensource. For example, canonical used launchpad as its project hosting software for five years before opening its code under the the affero gpl in july. This mistakenly causes some people to think the use of open source software in the cloud or a softwareasaservice saas deployment is free of risk. Reading black duck softwares newest paean to the affero general public license agpl the quietly accelerating adoption of the agpl, one could be. Yep, this license requires that if provide the agpld code over a. Iirc this was pioneered by ghostscript, tried by mongodb for a while, and is also used by qt and oracle java, mysql. You or your shall mean an individual or legal entity exercising permissions granted by this license.
The gpl licenses gplv3, gplv2, lgpl, affero gpl all contain some kind of sharealike license. Mar 31, 2011 the affero gpl is designed to close the socalled application service provider loophole in the gpl, which lets asps use gpl code without distributing their changes back to the open source community. Rstudio also offers a commercial desktop license for rstudio and a commercial license for rstudio server pro. Object form shall mean any form resulting from mechanical. The past, present and future of the gpl in open source. Reading black duck softwares newest paean to the affero general public license agpl the quietly accelerating adoption of the agpl, one could be forgiven for thinking agpl is rocking the open source licensing planet. However, not being a lawyer, and actually not having read the whole license, i cant understand what exactly you can do freely and what not with agpl. Source form shall mean the preferred form for making modifications, including but not limited to software source code, documentation source, and configuration files. Notwithstanding any other provision of this license, you have permission to link or combine any covered work with a work licensed under version 3 of the gnu affero general public license into a single combined work, and to convey the resulting work. In 2007, the gnu affero gpl was published by the free software foundation and was based on gnu gpl version 3.
The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. How to choose the best license for your open source. The gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works, specifically designed to ensure cooperation with the community in the case of network server software. The free software foundation has recommended that the gnu agplv3 be considered.
The gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license published by the free software foundation in november 2007, and based on the gnu general public license, version 3 and the affero general public license the free software foundation has recommended that the gnu agplv3 be considered for any software that will commonly be run over a network. The free software foundation has recommended that the gnu agplv3 be considered for any software that will commonly be run. They essentially say if you make a derivative work of this, and distribute it to others under certain circumstances, then you have to provide the source code under this license. Open source licensing for software as a service ross. Agplthe affero gnu general public license is, effectively, the gplv3 with one significant additional clausein addition to offering gpl freedoms to those who receive copies of. The misp subprojects use different open source licenses depending on the various usecases for the given software, library or knowledge base. The gnu affero general public license is based on the gnu gpl, but has an additional term to allow users who interact with the licensed software over a network to receive the source for that program. It is commonly known that the affero gpl license has network access provisions that can. Misp, overview of the licenses used in the misp project. Using agpl software requires that anything it links to must also be licensed under the agpl. Top 10 gnu gpl license questions answered whitesource. The agpl is unique in this, and in fact that clause is its reason for being, as it is otherwise the same as the gpl. Gnu general public license gpl the gnus general public license is the most popular open source license around.
Therefore you are distributing the app if someone other. The perfect team decided to release the source code on github and license it under the gnu affero gpl v3. You may have already heard of this open source license, but if not, here are a few things every saas company needs to know about the afferro gpl or agpl at least from the perspective of an open source attorney 1 if you use agpld code or modified code in your saas offering, you need to make the source code available. We recommend that people consider using the gnu agpl for any software which will commonly be run over a network. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general public. Export restriction might apply as misp open source software can be classified as eccn 5d002 or 5d992 for the users depending on their location if they wish to download misp from the official github repositories. The gnu affero gpl does not address the problem of service as a software substitute saass.
The following licenses are sorted by the number of conditions, from most gnu agplv3 to none unlicense. Feb 24, 2020 agplthe affero gnu general public license is, effectively, the gplv3 with one significant additional clausein addition to offering gpl freedoms to those who receive copies of agpllicensed. Does a commercial enterprise need to buy a commercial licence. Nov 19, 2007 boston, massachusetts, usamonday, november 19, 2007the free software foundation fsf today published the gnu affero general public license version 3 gnu agplv3. Both the ordinary gnu gpl, version 3, and the gnu affero gpl have text allowing you to link together modules under these two licenses in one program. Open source license aber law firm software attorney.
This license is based on gplv3 with a new requirement to ensure that users who interact with the software over a network can receive the source for that program. Jun 21, 2016 the gpl licenses gplv3, gplv2, lgpl, affero gpl all contain some kind of sharealike license. With the release of open source swift, perfect aims to be used on the server whether that be linux or os xbased and the client presumably idevices. Sep 05, 2017 reading black duck software s newest paean to the affero general public license agpl the quietly accelerating adoption of the agpl, one could be forgiven for thinking agpl is rocking the. Does a commercial enterprise need to buy a commercial. My uncertainty is fed by this post about mongodb which is agpl and even more by the comments below. Jul 21, 2017 i assume that youre referring to the affero gpl. The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by affero, inc. What agpl does on top of gpl is the redefinition of user. All the open source licenses used are approved by the osi and classified as freelibre by the free software foundation. But just like the gpl founders did not imagine the cloud, the agpl creators did not imagine that open source software could be created in a proprietary organization and that the agpl license would ensure that a diverse community would never form or take a really long time to form around the open source software. The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works. They believe that they can use open source software to offer services to the public, without returning anything to the community.
For gpl programs running on your server, you are the user, for agpl, the real users of the app are the users of your website or service. The gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license published by the free software foundation in november 2007, and based on the gnu general public license, version 3 and the affero general public license. Gpl, also known as copyleft, grants permission to reuse or modify the source code to make derivative works, but if you distribute your program to others, it requires you to license your derivative work under the gpl too. We recommend that people consider using the gnu agpl for any. To get around this, licenses such as the gnu affero general public license agpl have a stipulation that users who access the software over a network are also entitled to receive the source code. The affero gpl is designed to close the socalled application service provider loophole in the gpl, which lets asps use gpl code without distributing their changes back to. We believe that certain software can extend the bounderies sic of a person, and therefore should not be out of the. In march 2008 the open source initiative approved the gnu affero gpl v3, after it was submitted to them by open source mobile datasyncing firm funambol. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses. Boston, massachusetts, usamonday, november 19, 2007the free software foundation fsf today published the gnu affero general public license version 3 gnu agplv3. Agpl is a fairly new license that was meant to go gplovernetworks. Why the gnu affero gpl gnu project free software foundation. The open source initiative, an organization founded in 1998 to promote open source software and normalize the use of the term, has approved more than 80 open source licenses.
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