Merged Please help me understand the GPL for Kunena ... (and removing the "Powered by Kunena" link)

I did try searching the forums for an answer, but nothing i read seems to help me understand this.

Put simply: extensions.joomla.org lists Kunena as having a 'GPL, non-commercial' license. Can I use it on a website I'm getting paid to build for a business that is 'for profit'?

I guess the 'non-commercial' part of the GPL throws me -- it seems to suggest it is only for non-commercial use, but I couldn't find a way to then purchase a 'commercial' license...

any help understanding these provisions in this scenario is greatly appreciated!

I'm not a lawyer, but I interpret the GNU GPL licensing arrangement to mean something like what has been written in Wikipedia . The essential feature of the GPL licence is this:

The terms and conditions of the GPL are available to anybody receiving a copy of the work that has a GPL applied to it ("the licensee"). Any licensee who adheres to the terms and conditions is given permission to modify the work, as well as to copy and redistribute the work or any derivative version. The licensee is allowed to charge a fee for this service or do this free of charge. This latter point distinguishes the GPL from software licenses that prohibit commercial redistribution. The FSF argues that free software should not place restrictions on commercial use and the GPL explicitly states that GPL works may be sold at any price.

The GPL additionally states that a distributor may not impose "further restrictions on the rights granted by the GPL". This forbids activities such as distributing of the software under a non-disclosure agreement or contract. Distributors under the GPL also grant a licence for any of their patents practised by the software, to practise those patents in GPL software.

Put simply, as long as you attribute the work of the authors of GPL-licensed software used on your website, you are not encumbered under the GPL from charging, or not charging, for services that your website offers.

These are only my personal opinions.

Hi,

Welcome to Kunena!

To put it into layman's terms:

You are absolutely able to use it for commercial sites. You have to leave links to the credits in there.

I'll also add that the GPL allows you to sell it or do just about anything you want as long as you leave the attribution. That also means any derivative work needs to be GPL as well (including Kunena extensions). This is something that the Joomla Project itself enforces on the Joomla Extensions Directory.

Being GPL doesn't mean cost-free. It means the code is free and unencumbered. It means once it's in your hands you can do what you want (sell it or give it away) as long as you follow the license terms.

I will try to keep this brief and simple:

The development team has reviewed this matter. In the past there have been topics giving details about how to remove the "Powered by" link and credits. There has not been a "policy switch": as severdia basically says, the only conditions governing the use of Kunena are covered by the GPL.

In keeping with this policy, the development team has decided to remove all messages and discussions that advise how to remove the "Powered by Kunena" link and credits. Although users can make changes to Kunena - to remove the authorship attribution, for example -the developers strongly discourage those practices as this breaches the GPL.

severdia wrote:

Being GPL doesn't mean cost-free. It means the code is free and unencumbered. It means once it's in your hands you can do what you want (sell it or give it away) as long as you follow the license terms.

Does this mean that if I buy a commercial joomla component that uses the GPL, then I can redistribute it for free on my own website?

GPL Faq: If I distribute GPL'd software for a fee, am I required to also make it available to the public without a charge?
No. However, if someone pays your fee and gets a copy, the GPL gives them the freedom to release it to the public, with or without a fee. For example, someone could pay your fee, and then put her copy on a web site for the general public.


Link for more info: GNU GPL

So what this means is we can remove the credits if we can, only if we dont re-distribute under our name or sell the changed version of this product ?

lafanter wrote: So what this means is we can remove the credits if we can, only if we dont re-distribute under our name or sell the changed version of this product ?

please see my reply in your topic so not to derail this one..

www.kunena.com/forum/159-k-16-common-que...at-the-bottom-#59668

i did man, i did. hold your horses