Re: Re: Tricky Ozone Licensing questions (LGPL? or GPL?)

Hi Thomas,

As far as I see it, Ozone is GPL period. But in order to create closed
source programs that use ozone as data storage, you may use Ozone under
the LGPL.

What you may however NOT do, is take Ozone code under the LGPL and
incorporate it into your own _software_; you then need to use the GPL
license.

Example: you create your own application, let's call it X, that uses
parts of Ozone, for instance the transactional stuff. Then you
distribute X on a proprietary license and the Ozone parts with the LGPL.
You are now in violation of the Ozone license.

So AFAIK (but IANAL), that means in your situation you are in the clear,
as long as you make the changed sources to Ozone available when you
distribute it.

Of course the most easy way out is to have your changes incorporated
into the main Ozone tree on sf.net.

Cheers,
Leo

On Fri, 2004-04-09 at 22:50, [email protected] wrote:
> One last comment and then I'll put this licensing thread to rest.
> 
> Ozone licensing is unique and clear when it comes down to
> using its API. My code can use its API as LGPL. Even though my
> code needs to run within the same JVM as the Ozone-db Server.
> 
> If I change the core and not any Ozone-db API to the client,
> my changes fall under the GPL license. But does my code using
> the unchanged API also fall under this license, a result of
> the API running within the same JVM? I believe the answer is
> no. Just the file changes to Ozone-db are ruled by GPL and the
> API LGPL still holds true. Any other way would be in conflict.
> 
> The bellow link describes clearly how the licensing works when
> I do not modify the core. But if I do, the core file changes
> are ruled by GPL.
> 
> - Thomas
> 
> 
> Link from www.ozone-db.org:
> 
> http://sourceforge.net/docman/display_doc.php?docid=7990&group_id=39695
> 
> 
> Q:I'm trying to understand how Ozone is licensed. On your
> license page it says:
> 
>         Ozone Library License, LGPL
>         Ozone Core License, GPL
> 
> If I want to embed Ozone into another product (which utilizes,
> but is not itself a database) which license am I bound by?
> 
> 
> A:If you are using ozone via its APIs, then you are bound to
> the API's license, which is LGPL. This basically means you can
> use it freely in both commercial and non-commercial situations
> and also build on top of the code and include Ozone in your
> project without having to pay royalties to anyone. If you are
> changing Ozone itself, then you are bound to the license of
> the core files, which is GPL. This means you need to make your
> code open source using a GPL license.
> 
> 
> 
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2004 23:21:01 -0400
> >From: <[email protected]>  
> >Subject: [Ozone-users] Re: Tricky Ozone Licensing questions
> (LGPL? or GPL?)  
> >To: [email protected]
> >
> >Folks,
> >
> >My apologies for the second email, but I think I have some 
> >answers to my question.
> >
> >If Ozone-db did say that my scenario was not GPL (in 
> >reference to not adding or not yet adding my changes to the 
> >distribution) but LGPL and allowed others to do the same, 
> > would there be no conceptual difference between this and not 
> >informing Ozone-db (i.e GNU community) of the changes at all?
> >
> >So to conclude, I either:
> >
> > 1) Got an individual OK from Ozone-db to personally do such
> >    things
> >
> > 2) Have Ozone-db sourceforge.net accept me changes
> >
> > 3) Provide Ozone-db extensions through a site such as 
> >    sourceforge.net under GPL
> >
> >- Thomas
> >
> >---- Original message ----
> >>Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2004 20:55:48 -0400
> >>From: [email protected]  
> >>Subject: Tricky Ozone Licensing questions (LGPL? or GPL?)   
> >>To: [email protected] 
> >>
> >>Folks,
> >>
> >>I know the following questions are directed to Ozone-db's
> >>owners/maintainers, but I thought someone else would find 
> >>the answers useful. Here goes.
> >>
> >>I understand the licensing agreement that Ozone-db has put 
> >>forth and I have read the FAQ section about this topic. But 
> >>I have a situation that might complicate and/or add 
> >>confusion to its explanation.
> >>
> >>What if I want to fix/add work to the Ozone-db Core (that I 
> >>also want to make public) that has not yet been 
> >>incorporated/rejected by the Ozone-db sourceforge.net 
> >>maintainers. Lets also say that I did not make any changes 
> >>to Ozone-db API class files. Since Ozone-db requires the 
> >>server side JVM to load both the Ozone-db jar and my API 
> >>jar, I cannot separate (into two JVMs) the Ozone-db Core 
> >>from my client API application [In keeping with GPL].
> >>
> >>What is the ruling on this? I believe I understand GPL and
> >>LGPL pretty well. I also know that the final ruling is up to
> >>the persons(s) who own the code.
> >>
> >>Is my only salvation- to lobby my fixes/changes into CVS 
> >and wait until they hopefully get added?
> >>
> >>It is greatly appreciated if the folks in charge could make
> >>a ruling on this. Viva Ozone!
> >>
> >>Best Regards,
> >>
> >>- Thomas
> >>
> >
> >
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