Choosing the proper license for internal use of self use
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Hi friends,
I'm considering using Qt tools, but I got so confused about the licenses.
Questions about the LGPL, GPL, v2 and v3:
- Self-use (Personal): Which license should be used?
- Internal use (Company): Which license should be used?
I understand that for anything that would be distributed for commercial benefit, a commercial license is required.
For anything related to research (personal or in a company), a free open-source license is allowed. Which is better to use, GPL or LGPL?
Is Qt Creator also allowed to use in Open-Source license?
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Hi friends,
I'm considering using Qt tools, but I got so confused about the licenses.
Questions about the LGPL, GPL, v2 and v3:
- Self-use (Personal): Which license should be used?
- Internal use (Company): Which license should be used?
I understand that for anything that would be distributed for commercial benefit, a commercial license is required.
For anything related to research (personal or in a company), a free open-source license is allowed. Which is better to use, GPL or LGPL?
Is Qt Creator also allowed to use in Open-Source license?
@dreiGeforce said in Choosing the proper license for internal use of self use:
I'm considering using Qt tools
Please clarify: do you really mean only tools (like QtCreator) or also Qt?
You can use the tools like you want (even in commercial set-up), their license does not matter as long as you do not modify their code.
Qt on the other side is a totally different story.
"I understand that for anything that would be distributed for commercial benefit, a commercial license is required" - your understanding is wrong. As long as you do not violate LGPL (or, in case of some Qt modules, GPL) you can use the LGPL/GPL version of Qt. For internal use only the license does not matter.Keep in mind: I'm no a lawyer! If in doubt ask QtCompany!
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Hi friends,
I'm considering using Qt tools, but I got so confused about the licenses.
Questions about the LGPL, GPL, v2 and v3:
- Self-use (Personal): Which license should be used?
- Internal use (Company): Which license should be used?
I understand that for anything that would be distributed for commercial benefit, a commercial license is required.
For anything related to research (personal or in a company), a free open-source license is allowed. Which is better to use, GPL or LGPL?
Is Qt Creator also allowed to use in Open-Source license?
@dreiGeforce said in Choosing the proper license for internal use of self use:
I'm considering using Qt tools, but I got so confused about the licenses.
Yeah, everybody gets confused about licenses, no worries :-)
Questions about the LGPL, GPL, v2 and v3:
- Self-use (Personal): Which license should be used?
For personal use it does not matter at all. Since you are the only user of the code, you have no way to break the rules of LGPL or GPL. So just use Qt and be happy :-)
- Internal use (Company): Which license should be used?
Hm, here I am not exactly sure. According to international copyright law (it might be different in your country, though), the person/ company you work for owns all the copyright. So in that sense, an internal tool is the same as "personal" use we discussed above - because all users are working under the same copyright, have full access to the source code and there are no external clients.
But it feels a bit weird, doesn't it? Best consult a lawyer if you have a chance.
I understand that for anything that would be distributed for commercial benefit, a commercial license is required.
This is incorrect. Both LGPL and GPL can be used in commercial setting, provided you follow the rules.
See LGPL requirements, for example: https://www.tldrlegal.com/license/gnu-lesser-general-public-license-v3-lgpl-3
For anything related to research (personal or in a company), a free open-source license is allowed. Which is better to use, GPL or LGPL?
As mentioned, for personal use it does not matter, and for "in company" it probably does not matter either.
LGPL and GPL are both concerned predominantly with sharing the code of Qt and allowing the customers to modify Qt, use their own version of it etc. In this case there is no "customer" so - in my view at least - the licenses simply do not apply.
But talking in general, LGPL is often preferred because it only applies to Qt (your code can use any other license, including commercial EULAs etc.). But when you choose GPL, then your code has to be GPL, too, which is often not desired by companies (even for internal tools - a GPL tool can be - in theory - leaked to the public and it would be completely legal).
Is Qt Creator also allowed to use in Open-Source license?
Yes.
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Most of the time the GPL is not the right license in commercial applications. With the GPL your own code must be under the GPL as well. This means that anyone who gets the hands on your software must have access to the source code (your own source code) as well. You cannot protect your own source code under the GPL. Furthermore, everyone who has your software under the GPL is allowed to distribute it freely. No contract can take this right away.
The LGPL on the other hand allows for your own source to have a different license. The only requirement is to allow users to relink with a different Qt version. Using dynamic Qt libraries already fullfills this requirement. Now, you don't have to share your own source code anymore. (There are additional requirements in the LGPL!) This makes the LGPL more viable than the GPL for most commercial applications.
If you/your company wants to have control over the source code and who is allowed to use your software, only the LGPL (for the Qt library) or a commercial license will work.
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@dreiGeforce said in Choosing the proper license for internal use of self use:
I'm considering using Qt tools, but I got so confused about the licenses.
Yeah, everybody gets confused about licenses, no worries :-)
Questions about the LGPL, GPL, v2 and v3:
- Self-use (Personal): Which license should be used?
For personal use it does not matter at all. Since you are the only user of the code, you have no way to break the rules of LGPL or GPL. So just use Qt and be happy :-)
- Internal use (Company): Which license should be used?
Hm, here I am not exactly sure. According to international copyright law (it might be different in your country, though), the person/ company you work for owns all the copyright. So in that sense, an internal tool is the same as "personal" use we discussed above - because all users are working under the same copyright, have full access to the source code and there are no external clients.
But it feels a bit weird, doesn't it? Best consult a lawyer if you have a chance.
I understand that for anything that would be distributed for commercial benefit, a commercial license is required.
This is incorrect. Both LGPL and GPL can be used in commercial setting, provided you follow the rules.
See LGPL requirements, for example: https://www.tldrlegal.com/license/gnu-lesser-general-public-license-v3-lgpl-3
For anything related to research (personal or in a company), a free open-source license is allowed. Which is better to use, GPL or LGPL?
As mentioned, for personal use it does not matter, and for "in company" it probably does not matter either.
LGPL and GPL are both concerned predominantly with sharing the code of Qt and allowing the customers to modify Qt, use their own version of it etc. In this case there is no "customer" so - in my view at least - the licenses simply do not apply.
But talking in general, LGPL is often preferred because it only applies to Qt (your code can use any other license, including commercial EULAs etc.). But when you choose GPL, then your code has to be GPL, too, which is often not desired by companies (even for internal tools - a GPL tool can be - in theory - leaked to the public and it would be completely legal).
Is Qt Creator also allowed to use in Open-Source license?
Yes.
@sierdzio @SimonSchroeder Thank you people for your great answers!
I learned from you.
