Unsolved Startup licensing question
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Hi,
I'm planning to make a free application (linked statically, closed source code).
Commercial startup monthly license is paid only during development time?
Found in (qt.io/faq/):
2.9 Can I continue to distribute my application after I have canceled my subscription?
No, you need to have a valid license to distribute your application.
All applications that have been distributed during the subscription period are valid as such, so your users can continue using them as usual.So, after development, I must pay all time my free application will available for download?
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Hi,
Do you mean you want to make a free closed source static application ?
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@SGaist Yes.
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This post is deleted! -
It's actually good question. What if to develop app company needed licenses for 5 developers and after work is done there is no maintenance, how many licenses are needed only for distributing purposes?
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Now, I'm confused with this official comment (http://blog.qt.io/blog/2016/03/08/qt-start-ups-awesome/) :
Tuukka Turunen
March 10, 2016 at 10:41
@J0hn: Qt for Application Development license allows to continue distribution after the subscription period ends. In case you want to make modifications to the application (bugfixes, new features), a valid subscription is needed. So the intention is that as long as you are actively developing or maintaining your application, the subscription is paid. -
@QTTman You should ask QtCompany such questions - people here are not lawyers! You should not rely on answers you get here.
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I thinks it's important to clarify base license issue because people read blog and forum before decide to buy the license.
Only when I decided to buy I should to contact Qt directly for advanced questions.Questions like
can I distribute app after license ends?
don't seems to be so difficult to solve without contacting QtCompany directly.
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Hi @QTTman
The quote from Tuukka Turunen is accurate.
If you stop development and just leave the application for download, you don't need a license. However if you ever start developing (new feature, bug fix, security update...) the application again, then you need a valid license.To simplify, the idea of the license is that you need it when developing, if you are not developing you don't need a license.
EDIT: This was wrong, the license in fact states that you need a license to distribute Qt code, which means that you need a valid license when you distribute the app.
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@tekojo
Yes, it's accurate. And it's a good idea.
I make this topic only after I found in Qt license FAQ such words:2.9 Can I continue to distribute my application after I have canceled my subscription?
No, you need to have a valid license to distribute your application.
All applications that have been distributed during the subscription period are valid as such,
so your users can continue using them as usual.These words can confuse people like me when deciding to purchase a license.
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@QTTman actually it looks like the license has been clarified on that part. Had to go and read it again.
It in fact looks like when your license runs out, you are not allowed to distribute the Qt code anymore, which means that you are not allowed to distribute the application.
So if you keep the application available, you need to have a license.
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A solution should probably be to buy a perpetual license (not a subscription license).
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@tekojo
If subscription ends, can I still distribute same application but built dynamically (instead of static build) -
@QTTman said in Startup licensing question:
@tekojo
If subscription ends, can I still distribute same application but built dynamically (instead of static build)If you mean switching to LGPL license, then the answer is "it depends". You have to make sure your app fulfills LGPL requirements (you need to inform your users that Qt is being used, provide a copy of license, provide Qt source code on demand, make it possible for your users to swap Qt libs with their own).
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@QTTman if you develop first under a commercial license (your own code is under commercial then too), you would need to re-license your own code to LGPL if you continue to distribute. You are free to do that, as it is your code.
This would also mean you would need to do a new release under LGPL.
So yes you can do it, but as @sierdzio says, you need to check that you are good with the LGPL requirements.