Saas companies are more free to use gpl licensedcode because the obligations of the gpl are triggered upon software distribution and saas. If i use a piece of software that has been obtained under the gnu gpl, am i allowed to modify the original code into a new program, then distribute and sell that. The gpl saas loophole made headlines around the time the agpl was released. The gplv3 is explicitly irrevocable, so if the software was licensed under the gplv3 or gplv2 or later, the company cannot revoke any of their. This involves the private, public and hybrid networks. Effects of cloud computing on opensource compliance. Software as a service and gnu gpl licensing is not complex, the motto of the license is for disallowing the softwares to control the users and modify, distribute, develop, use the softwares with full freedom along with the other points written in the license. The free software foundation considers the apache license, version 2. Gplv3 goes weak on protecting freedom asp loophole. Mar 29, 2007 gplv3 and software as a service by brett smith contributions published on mar 29, 2007 09. If you do that, then youd be distributing the software, and the gpl opensource provisions would then apply. Gplv1 is very different than gplv2 is very different than gplv3 especially with respect with whether you can distribute gpl based product using drm or if the distributor attaches a different license. This means that there is no problem with using lgpl libraries in a closedsource saas project.
Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions stack. Jul 24, 2018 the gpl saas loophole made headlines around the time the agpl was released. Gplv3 licensing and softwareasaservice web apps software. Fsf approves affero gpl for saas apps business linuxinsider. The gpl granted recipients unfettered rights to redistribute software with. This license is based on gplv3 with a new requirement to ensure that users who interact with the software over a network can receive the source for that program. This loophole was intentionally left in version 3 of the gpl due to the fact that letting users interact with a piece of software over the network.
The agplv3 is based on version 3 of the gpl but includes an additional terms to allow users who interact with the licensed software over a network to receive the. While theres been a lot of discussion about the license since the first draft appeared, not many people have. Mar 05, 2010 i recently answered a linkedin question about whether providing software as a service saas is considered a distribution under the opensource gnu general public license. Tim oreilly addresses this while making yet another argument for. Gplv3 goes weak on protecting freedom asp loophole resurrected i completely missed this on my quick readthrough of gplv3 draft 3 yesterday. The free software foundation few days ago released the gnu general public license version 3, as earlier draft versions it doesnt fix the saas loophole, leaving unhappy some entrepreneurs. I am trying to figure out once and for all how the gplv3 interacts with web applications, specifically saas applications. The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by affero, inc. The free software foundation today released the second discussion draft of the gnu affero general public license gnu agpl. Top 10 best open source cloud storage software in 2020. Linux magazines article the gpl has no networked future recognizes a point that ive been making for years. Open source cloud also offers saas, paas, and iaas services. Jun 29, 2007 by contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a programto make sure it remains free software for all its users. The free software foundation few days ago released the gnu general public license version 3, as earlier draft versions it doesnt fix the saas loophole, leaving unhappy some entrepreneurs a substantial hole, by rich.
Gplv3 and software as a service free software foundation. The saas developers ubershort guide to using open source projects. Saas use of opensource software is not distribution who gnu. The big news in free software land is the patent peace deal between microsoft and novell and the suse vouchers microsoft is planning to sell. Since gpl requires providing access to source code, and agplv3 section is an additional condition specifically added to plug the loophole in saas like software, does not it imply that agplv3 also requires providing source code access, irrespective of whether it is modified or not. The free software foundation has approved the affero gpl for software as a service applications, reports e commerce news. We, the free software foundation, use the gnu general public license for most of our software. The free software foundation has published a new opensource software license aimed at developers whose code is used for softwareasaservice saas applications. Open source licensing for software as a service ross.
Are you defending agpl and saying that proprietary saas software shouldnt use gpl code. See, for example, my 1999 debate with richard stallman. The license was originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grants the recipients of a computer program the rights of the free software definition. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. The free software foundation has published a new opensource software license aimed at developers whose code is used for software asaservice saas applications. I recently answered a linkedin question about whether providing software as a service saas is considered a distribution under the opensource gnu general public license. Using full gpl libraries in software as a service saas.
The company is free to stop offering new copies of their software under a particular license. At first glance this would appear to offer the exact same rights as the gpl in this scenario, however you then have the protection of the agpl if the software was ever incorporated into a. Affero gpl finally closes the saas loophole who cares. Gpl requires you to release the source code of your application if you choose to use and distribute the gpl licensed open source software with your application.
However, it is allowed to switch from the gplv3, to a variant, the affero gplv3 agplv3 that covers saas like the eupl. Some poeple will love your software but distrust the saas idea. The free software foundation on monday published the gnu affero general public license version 3, a version of the gnu gplv3 designed specifically for networkoriented free software. The agplv3 is based on version 3 of the gpl but includes an additional terms to allow users who interact with the licensed software over a network to receive the source code for that program. Is hosting a software as a saas offering considered as distribution under gpl. While i have already expressed my concerns commenting others posts, i believe it is time to tell it. Any modifications of this code base must be distributed with the same license, gplv3.
Gplv3 and software as a service by brett smith contributions published on mar 29, 2007 09. New tools for softwareasservice apps are based on the latest version of gpl. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a widelyused free software license that guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. Does allowing users to interact with a software application over the internet qualify as distribution. Notwithstanding any other provision of this license, if you modify the program, your modified version must prominently offer all users interacting with it remotely. As far as the regular gpl and lgpl are concerned, providing access to use your software over a network like in saas is not considered distribution. Lgpl allows you to use and distribute the open source software with your application without releasing the source code for your application. Eben on gplv3 and saas someone just asked eben moglen about why gplv3 didnt stick to its original intention to apply the gpl to distribution on the web, by which i mean distribution of software.
You have certain responsibilities if you distribute copies of the software. Saas providers will often get asked to create onpremise versions of their software. Indeed, gplv3 uses the term convey rather than distribute, precisely to clarify that saas use does not trigger any license requirements. The fsf had contemplated adding the ability to run softwareasaservice saas to gplv3, but chose instead to release the separate licence. A quick guide to gplv3 gnu project free software foundation. Revised versions of the gnu lesser general public license. The only major threat to open source software license models like the gpl is the spread of cloud computing and software as a service saas business models. May 12, 2015 software as a service and gnu gpl licensing is not complex, the motto of the license is for disallowing the softwares to control the users and modify, distribute, develop, use the softwares with full freedom along with the other points written in the license.
In a nutshell, it is the ability of running gplv2 software as a service saas without returning any changes to the community, because distribution of software as a service. Last night, i read the last draft of gplv3 on my cell phone during dinner in orlando. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. The free software foundation may publish revised and or new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. Gnu agplv3, a version of the gnu gplv3 designed specifically for networkoriented free software. Open source came before, if not provided a platform for, software as a service. If youre known by the enemies you keep, then software as a service received a boost the other day when it was bashed by richard stallman, the freesoftware gnuru. Fsf finalizes gplbased license for web services computerworld. The article describes how during the gpl v3 discussions, there was a move to close the saas loophole by including some of the provisions of. The question and answer no longer available on linkedin are reproduced, in slightly edited form, below.
At a regular closedsource software company, you cant include any software in your products that you get from the web which carries the gpl gnu public license, because this license requires all derived works to also use the gpl and be open source. The software author or license can not be held liable for any damages inflicted by the software. If a saas product is created using the code from a gpl project and is fully maintained by that company, what would happen if that gpl project has its license updated from gpl to agpl. After a year and a half of public consultation, thousands of comments, and four drafts, version 3 of the gnu general public license was finally published on june 29, 2007.
Restrictive opensource licenses, such as the gpl, operate to maintain software freedom only to the extent that the underlying opensource code is part of a distribution. If you are interested, you can read the complete essay its really not that long. The software freedom law center provides practical advice for developers about including permissively licensed source. Since gpl requires providing access to source code, and agplv3 section is an additional condition specifically added to plug the loophole in saaslike software, does not it imply that agplv3 also requires providing source code access, irrespective of whether it is modified or not. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses.
Fsf approves affero gpl for saas apps business ecommerce. Effects of cloud computing on opensource compliance linux. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu project. If you call even a single method from a library covered under one of these in your distributed code, your. The saas loophole in gpl open source licenses whitesource. Lets say i have a saas web app that users can purchase a monthly subscription to and access. Apache 2 software can therefore be included in gplv3 projects, because the gplv3 license accepts our software into gplv3 works. In general terms, opensource cloud means using an opensource platform, storage, and technologies. Open source licenses have a big loophole for the most common method of software distribution today. The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. As a result, the demand for cloud storage software need not to mention.
By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a programto make sure it remains free software for all its users. Some experts said it wasnt really needed, while others wondered whether it served the commercial giants of software over the open source community and smaller, younger businesses. However, gplv3 software cannot be included in apache projects. Weve built a company with exceptional people who are passionate about ecommerce. Cloud computing saas licenses is agpl the solution. Stallman is such a control freak about his particular vision of software freedom that he. Its a commonly used term for setting up software on a server rather than offering copies of it to users, and we thought it described precisely the cases where this problem occurs. This type of software is called software as a service, or saas. The gnu affero general public license3 agpl is a special license in the family of open source licenses, creating risks and opportunities that do not exist with most other open source licenses. The free software foundation fsf on monday published the gnu affero general public license version 3 gnu agplv3, a version of the gnu gplv3 designed specifically for networkoriented free software the agplv3 is based on version 3 of the gpl but includes an additional terms to allow users who interact with the licensed software over a network to receive the source code for that program. The new gpl is based on the gnu gplv3 but includes terms to let users access source code for software accessed over a network.
We recommend that people consider using the gnu agpl for any software which will commonly be run over a network. Is it possible to have gpl software in the mac app store. The gplv3 covers tivoisation this is a new term invented by the fsf, which is not used as is in the gplv3 meaning that it prevents hardware providers to adapt free software in order to implement and lock a. In the article, analyst laura didio points out how the new gpl reflects a growing trend toward saas. I went looking for the provision they had in the last draft, the one that closes the gplv2 asp loophole that forced me to create hpl. Whether they can retroactively revoke a license already granted to someone is a very different question. Gpl, also known as copyleft, grants permission to reuse or modify the source code to make derivative works, but if you distribute your program to others, it requires you to license your derivative work under the gpl too.
What you have to watch out for are libraries that have an agpl affero gpl licence. Not every piece of software is available over the cloud, but for most businesses, using software as a service helps keep them ahead of their competition. The blogosphere has started buzzing with the suggestion that gplv3 isnt going to address the socalled asp loophole, where users interact. The vouchers have no expiration date so if just one voucher is redeemed after suse releases any gplv3ed software then all recipients of that gplv3ed software are safe from any microsoft patent attacks. Saas use of opensource software is not distribution who. Instead of installing software directly onto your computer, programs are available through a website or app. We recommend that people consider using the gnu agpl for any. Originally we referred to this problematical practice as saas, which stands for software as a service.
The gnu affero general public license is based on the gnu gpl, but has an additional term to allow users who interact with the licensed software over a network to receive the source for that program. Ive always wondered about whether the agpl is a good fit for software that isnt accessed over the network. I havent been able to find a concrete answer about this. Jul 11, 20 restrictive opensource licenses, such as the gpl, operate to maintain software freedom only to the extent that the underlying opensource code is part of a distribution. Jun 24, 2008 open source, gpl and saas one of them is the ability to make good use of gpled software.
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