Lincense question for commercial app

[Zdenek Wagner]

pá 20. 1. 2023 v 18:41 odesílatel Boris Veytsman <borisv at lk.net> napsal:
>
> DK> From: Daniel Kuster <daniel.kuster at gmail.com>
> DK> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2023 15:21:06 +0100
>
> DK> Is it possible to use texlive in a closed-source commercial app?
> DK> In other words: Can I compile and use TexLive in a paid Android app?
>
> DK> You mention in your license document: "In short, this means that all the
> DK> material in TeX Live may be freely used, copied, modified, and/or
> DK> redistributed, subject to (in many cases) the sources remaining freely
> DK> available."
>
> DK> Does that mean that when using TexLive the source code of any app that uses
> DK> texlive must be made available?
>
> TL has many applications with many different licenses, from public
> domain to GPL with everything in between.
>
> However, ALL these licenses allow you to compile the code and use it
> in any application you want including a closed source Android app.
> Some licenses require you to make the source of these applications
> (but not yours) freely available. Many people solve this by adding to
> their commercial product the text "This product uses GPL software; you
> can get its source from ..."
>
If I understand GPL well, it requires availability of all sources but
a link to sources is sufficient. This means that GPL software
_must_not_ be used in a closed source software. LGPL does not have
such a restriction. I wanted to make a freely redistributable program
but it needed a GPL library and a closed source library which can be
used in a closed source software and freely redistributed. Thus I was
not able to do it because it is not allowed by GPL. The MIT license is
probably the least restrictive, you must only name the packages
covered by this license which you use.

> So yes, what you want is possible, if you acknowledge TL and give your
> users a link to TL sources.
>
> However, if you want to MODIFY the sources or link them as a library,
> you must be careful and read the individual licenses.  Some code in TL
> can be used this way, some cannot.
>
> --
> Good luck
>
> -Boris

Zdeněk Wagner
https://www.zdenek-wagner.eu/