Re: Who needs to pick a license?

Yes, but the point is that dual-licensing is "above" all this. If you
prefer, an app published under license A is one edition of the work, and
the same app published under license B is another edition of the work. As
the user, you choose edition A or edition B, and nothing in A affects B and
vice versa.

Numerous software projects are dual-licensed, for example Qt (
https://www.qt.io/licensing/open-source-lgpl-obligations ). If you choose
Qt=E2=80=99s "commercial license", you=E2=80=99re not bound at all by any t=
erms of the LGPL
or GPL license, and vice versa.

A.

On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 11:54=E2=80=AFPM Lawrence D'Oliveiro <
[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sun, 20 Apr 2025 17:55:24 +0200, Adam Twardoch (List) wrote:
>
> > If the whole licensing construct is "you can choose the A set of
> > terms, or the B set of terms", and the A set of terms (license) says
> > "only this license grants you permission" or something like that =E2=80=
=94
> > that clause only kicks in if you "choose" license A. If you "choose"
> > license B, then A is of no interest of you.
>
> During the discussion that led up to the formulation of GPLv3, Eben
> Moglen explained, more than once, the difference between a =E2=80=9Ccontr=
act=E2=80=9D
> and a =E2=80=9Clicence=E2=80=9D. GPL is a =E2=80=9Clicence=E2=80=9D. Here=
 are the parts I quoted again:
>
> GPLv2 <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.en.html>
> (section 5):
>
>     You are not required to accept this License, since you have not
>     signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify
>     or distribute the Program or its derivative works.
>
> and GPLv3 <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html> (section 9):
>
>     You are not required to accept this License in order to receive or
>     run a copy of the Program. ... However, nothing other than this
>     License grants you permission to propagate or modify any covered
>     work.
>
> Saying =E2=80=9Cyou are not required to accept=E2=80=9D is not a =E2=80=
=9Cterm=E2=80=9D of the licence;
> it=E2=80=99s a simple statement of fact.
>
>

--=20
Adam Twardoch
(to contact directly, remove "list." from e-mail address)