[FFmpeg-user] License FFmpeg under GPL v3

Aaron Boxer boxerab at gmail.com
Tue Mar 29 18:27:27 CEST 2016


On Tue, Mar 29, 2016 at 11:43 AM, Reindl Harald <h.reindl at thelounge.net>
wrote:

>
> Am 29.03.2016 um 17:03 schrieb Aaron Boxer:
>
>> On Tue, Mar 29, 2016 at 9:33 AM, Aaron Boxer <boxerab at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> On Mar 29, 2016 9:16 AM, "Carl Eugen Hoyos" <cehoyos at ag.or.at> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Aaron Boxer <boxerab <at> gmail.com> writes:
>>>>
>>>> So, if I release FFmpeg under GPL v3
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I am not sure what you mean with "release" in this
>>>> sentence.
>>>> Note that the (L)GPL (except for the no-warranty
>>>> clause) only covers "distribution".
>>>>
>>>
>>> Yes I meant distribute FFmpeg with my codec.  So, this means my project
>>> would be available to all FFmpeg users
>>>
>>
>> And furthermore, any other AGPL codec could be distributed in this fashion
>>
>
> why in the world you you bring the AGPL into the mix?
> do you know what AGPL in fact means?
>
> i doubt!
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License


In the wikipedia article that you link to, there are the following lines


By contrast, GPLv3 and AGPLv3 each include clauses (in section 13 of each
license) that together achieve a form of mutual compatibility for the two
licenses. These clauses explicitly allow the "conveying
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/convey#Verb>" of a work formed by linking
code licensed under the one license against code licensed under the other
license,[3]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License#cite_note-3>
despite the licenses otherwise not allowing relicensing under the terms of
each other.[4]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License#cite_note-fsf2-4>
In this way, the copyleft of each license is relaxed to allow distributing
such combinations.[4]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License#cite_note-fsf2-4>


My point is that AGPL can be distributed with GPL v3, according to section
13 of each of the two licenses.

Since FFmpeg can be distributed as GPL v3, then it can also link to codecs
licensed under AGPL v3 when GPL v3 is enabled.

And, the only difference between AGPL v3 and GPL v3 is that connecting over
a network is considered a form of conveying the software,
so that modifications to the software must be made available to a user
connecting over a network. Otherwise, the licenses are the same.


HTH,
Aaron






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