CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javac
user1985567
user1985567

Reputation: 1

commercial use of GNU-GhostScript-9.06 which is under license Gnu- general public license V3

I want to use GNU-GhostScript-9.06 commercially which is distributed under GNU-GPL_V3 License.

  1. This License says that --> GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a program to make sure it remains free software for all its users. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for them if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs, and that you know you can do these things.

  2. In code files there is "Copyright (C) 2001-2012 Artifex Software, Inc." This software is distributed under license and may not be copied, modified or distributed except as expressly authorized under the terms of the license contained in the file LICENSE in this distribution.

  3. I am using Java to develop my software, as in Java we defies native functions and, calls System.loadLibrary to load library at run time. So in build time there is no linking of Java code with Gnu-GPL_v3 code. In this case do I need to open Java code also?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 1126

Answers (2)

vonbrand
vonbrand

Reputation: 11831

I can't offer legal advice. But the GPL is designed, so you can use the program for whatever purpose you want. However, if you give somebody a modified version of the program itself, you must give the full source (including all changes) to who gets the program. As long as you use the original or keep any changes to yourself, you are in the clear. But, check the ghostscript site, the license isn't just the plain GPL anymore.

The "link with a library" is a grey area, no court has defined if that creates a derivative work AFAIK. You should ask the owners of the code, perhaps even ask for special permission or make sure you just use the program unchanged, as designed.

Note that Ghostscript is a Postscript interpreter, I don't know if its output contains other stuff (such as fonts), would need to check that.

Upvotes: 0

teppic
teppic

Reputation: 8195

The GPL FAQ is very clear on questions like these:

If a library is released under the GPL (not the LGPL), does that mean that any software which uses it has to be under the GPL or a GPL-compatible license?

Yes, because the software as it is actually run includes the library.

It also explicitly says that Java's method of linking is no exception.

Upvotes: 1

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