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Thread: LGPL for specific platforms only

  1. #1
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    Question LGPL for specific platforms only

    Hi,
    I want to make my project open source and put it under LGPL - but only for desktop systems (Windows, Linux, MacOs). The use of its source code on mobile platforms (Android, iOs) shall be forbidden for others. I do have plans to change this restriction in the future, but I want to reach a certain point of break-even with my investments first.

    1. Is it sensibly possible to restrict the LGPL to explicitly named operation systems / platforms?
    2. Will I as the original author and probably main contributor of the code still have the right to publish an Android/iOs app based on the code and earn money that way?
    3. In case you don't know an answer: do you have any idea where I can get good advice on this?


    This is the first time I step into the world of licensing questions - I am absolutely inexperienced in these things. I have not found any example on platform-specific OS-licenses yet, that makes me wonder if I might have completely misunderstood some basic concept.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: LGPL for specific platforms only

    Quote Originally Posted by sedi View Post
    I want to make my project open source and put it under LGPL - but only for desktop systems (Windows, Linux, MacOs). The use of its source code on mobile platforms (Android, iOs) shall be forbidden for others.
    That would not be the LGPL anymore then.
    The copyleft licenses created by the Free Software Foundation explicitly grant the right to use the software for any purpose.

    Quote Originally Posted by sedi View Post
    Is it sensibly possible to restrict the LGPL to explicitly named operation systems / platforms?
    Not with the LGPL as such.
    You could have your own license or separate platform integration code into plugins and not release those for the platforms you don't want to.

    Quote Originally Posted by sedi View Post
    Will I as the original author and probably main contributor of the code still have the right to publish an Android/iOs app based on the code and earn money that way?
    As the original author you can always do what you want unless you've explicitly transferred those rights to someone else.
    But that is kind of unrelated to the second part of the sentence, which is solely a matter of the software's license condition and that of the respective store.

    Quote Originally Posted by sedi View Post
    n case you don't know an answer: do you have any idea where I can get good advice on this?
    As with all legal things, only a lawyer with respective know-how on the subject can give any definite answer.

    Cheers,
    _

  3. The following user says thank you to anda_skoa for this useful post:

    sedi (27th July 2014)

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