About Trolltech QT OpenSource license.

[Joshua J. Kugler]

On Tuesday 10 April 2007 12:52, Kevin Walzer wrote:
> Yes. Nothing in the GPL prevents you from developing and marketing an
> application for as high a price as you can get from it.
> 
> HOWEVER:
> 
> you will have to distribute the source code to your application to
> anyone who purchases a binary from you.
> 
> AND:
> 
> they will be permitted under the GPL to redistribute your application,
> source code and all. The GPL would allow them to buy your application
> from you and then redistribute it at no cost to others.

To add to the train of thought: While anyone who buys your GPL program (and
acquires the source) will be able to distribute copies of the source code
to MyGreatProgram, you can via *trademark law* (COMPLETELY different area
than copyright law) prevent them from calling it MyGreatProgram, or even
from saying publically "This program is just like MyGreatProgram."  A name
can be owned (proprietary, if you will), even if the software itself is
under the GPL.  Alfresco and MySQL are under the GPL, but if you made
massive (or any?) modifications to the source code, or wrote your own
versions from the ground up, and then tried to distribute them as Alfresco
or MySQL, I think you would hear from their lawyers. :)

I hope that doesn't add to the confusion, but provides further
clarification.

j

-- 
Joshua Kugler
Lead System Admin -- Senior Programmer
http://www.eeinternet.com
PGP Key: http://pgp.mit.edu/  ID 0xDB26D7CE

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