Thread: Regarding licensing of Postgresql

Larsen & Toubro Limited

www.larsentoubro.com

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On 12/05/11 12:23 AM, Jayashankar K B wrote:
>
> Now we have a doubt about licensing.
>
> What is the licensing process if we want to use postgresql with our
> proprietary software?
> Could anyone please throw some light on this ?
>

very simple.


    PostgreSQL Database Management System
    (formerly known as Postgres, then as Postgres95)

    Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2011, PostgreSQL Global Development Group

    Portions Copyright (c) 1994, The Regents of the University of California

    Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
    documentation for any purpose, without fee, and without a written
    agreement
    is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice and this
    paragraph and the following two paragraphs appear in all copies.

    IN NO EVENT SHALL THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BE LIABLE TO ANY
    PARTY FOR
    DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES,
    INCLUDING
    LOST PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS
    DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN ADVISED
    OF THE
    POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

    THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES,
    INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
    AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED
    HEREUNDER IS
    ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS NO
    OBLIGATIONS TO
    PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR MODIFICATIONS.


include that in your copyright notices, and you're gold.

the only caveat is if you've linked in any GPL code, such as readline,
that can taint your whole project and require you to distribute source
code according to the GPL terms.






--
john r pierce                            N 37, W 122
santa cruz ca                         mid-left coast

On 12/05/11 12:55 AM, Jayashankar K B wrote:
> Does that mean, we have to distribute whole source code including our
> proprietary software source?

you're using Linux, which is GPL.  you need to *CAREFULLY* read the GPL
and go over this with your lawyers.  have fun.  I'm not a lawyer, nor do
I play one on TV.

note: Free/Net/Open BSD doesn't have a toxic license like this.


--
john r pierce                            N 37, W 122
santa cruz ca                         mid-left coast

On 12/05/11 12:55 AM, Jayashankar K B wrote:
>> Does that mean, we have to distribute whole source code including our
>> proprietary software source?
Nope. PostgreSQL is released under a BSD-like license that imposes very
few requirements. It's short and easy to read, so the best thing to do
is go read it. The short version is that BSD-licensed code is used all
over the place in closed-source apps where it's embedded entirely into
the app, so you're not going to have problems just using libpq and
postgresql in an embedded app.

If you're using PostGIS, that might be different as the PostGIS
extensions are GPL licensed. See the PostGIS website for information on
that; I don't know enough to comment further.

On 12/05/2011 04:59 PM, John R Pierce wrote:
> you're using Linux, which is GPL.  you need to *CAREFULLY* read the
> GPL and go over this with your lawyers.  have fun.  I'm not a lawyer,
> nor do I play one on TV.
>
This isn't really the place for a Linux/BSD flamewar, nor a licensing
debate re the Linux kernel. The OP should use the existing extensive
resources about Linux licensing in embedded systems. In terms of what
must be released, have a look at what Linksys (now Cisco) are releasing
- it's their kernel and any (L)GPL userspace components, but not their
own stuff.

Note that relying on a full-GPL library that you directly link to
clearly *does* require you to license your own code under the GPL.
Anything short of that is grades of fuzzy.

--
Craig Ringer

Hi John,

 

Thanks for your swift reply.!

>" the only caveat is if you've linked in any GPL code, such as readline, that can taint your whole project and require you to distribute source code according to the GPL terms."

Does that mean, we have to distribute whole source code including our proprietary software source?

 

Thanks and Regards

Jayashankar

 

-----Original Message-----
From: pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org [mailto:pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of John R Pierce
Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 2:12 PM
To: pgsql-general@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [GENERAL] Regarding licensing of Postgresql

 

On 12/05/11 12:23 AM, Jayashankar K B wrote:

>

> Now we have a doubt about licensing.

>

> What is the licensing process if we want to use postgresql with our

> proprietary software?

> Could anyone please throw some light on this ?

>

 

very simple.

 

 

    PostgreSQL Database Management System

    (formerly known as Postgres, then as Postgres95)

 

    Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2011, PostgreSQL Global Development Group

 

    Portions Copyright (c) 1994, The Regents of the University of California

 

    Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its

    documentation for any purpose, without fee, and without a written

    agreement

    is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice and this

    paragraph and the following two paragraphs appear in all copies.

 

    IN NO EVENT SHALL THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BE LIABLE TO ANY

    PARTY FOR

    DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES,

    INCLUDING

    LOST PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS

    DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN ADVISED

    OF THE

    POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

 

    THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES,

    INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY

    AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED

    HEREUNDER IS

    ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS NO

    OBLIGATIONS TO

    PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR MODIFICATIONS.

 

 

include that in your copyright notices, and you're gold.

 

the only caveat is if you've linked in any GPL code, such as readline, that can taint your whole project and require you to distribute source code according to the GPL terms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

john r pierce                            N 37, W 122

santa cruz ca                         mid-left coast

 

 

--

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Larsen & Toubro Limited

www.larsentoubro.com

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On Mon, Dec 05, 2011 at 08:55:08AM +0000, Jayashankar K B wrote:
> Does that mean, we have to distribute whole source code including our proprietary software source?
>

I think this was already covered, but I'll restate:

    - The source code you get from the PostgreSQL site is under the
      BSD license.  This is a free software license that permits you
      to do more or less anything with the software itself, including
      making special proprietary changes, keeping them secret, and
      packaging and shipping the results.

    - If you are using other software also, then that might affect
      what you must do (and this list isn't the place to get answers
      about it).  Most importantly, if you have included GPL packages
      in what you are doing, then that more restrictive license is the
      one you need to conform to, because you need to conform to all
      the licenses you are covered by.

    - In general, if you are linked to GPL'd code, then you will need
      to release your own source code too.  You should, however,
      probably consult a lawyer about this topic: this list is not a
      source of legal advice, and legal advice you get on a mailing
      list is in any case worth what you paid for it.

Best,

A

--
Andrew Sullivan
ajs@crankycanuck.ca

Get a lawyer that knows this stuff.
Whilst asking around is good, if you want serious answer - you can't
count on bunch of people on the list.

Within GPL there are also variants, like LGPL, AGPL, etc. There are
some lawyers that specialize in opensource, ask them.

Most people here should have added to their post - IANAL..

On 12/05/2011 04:55 PM, Jayashankar K B wrote:

Hi John,

 

Thanks for your swift reply.!

>" the only caveat is if you've linked in any GPL code, such as readline, that can taint your whole project and require you to distribute source code according to the GPL terms."

Does that mean, we have to distribute whole source code including our proprietary software source?

If you want to know more about the GPL, please use the resources already out there. This mailing list is for PostgreSQL, which is BSD-like licensed, and REALLY isn't the best place to come to for advice on the GPL. I've added some links down the bottom.

PostgreSQL is BSD-licensed; you can do what you want with it within a very few limitations as set out in the license. Some optional components PostgreSQL can use, like readline, are GPL. Readline is only used for `psql' and is optional; you can simply compile PostgreSQL with it disabled and not distribute it if you're concerned about the GPL.

http://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2008/compliance-guide.html
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html
http://gpl-violations.org/faq/violation-faq.html
http://gpl-violations.org/faq/sourcecode-faq.html

(Also, despite the ranting you may sometimes encounter, in practice if you *do* unintentionally violate the license all you'll generally be asked to do by the copyright holder is end your violation by stopping using the code you're violating the license of or coming into compliance with the license. That's a big problem if you're relying directly on that code, but pretty minor if it's a small optional library used by something you link to and you didn't realise you were using it. Look into the history of GPL enforcement, into Linksys, etc and get a better understanding of how it all works. Opinions do vary, and mine's just one uninformed opinion; if you want a good one go ask the SFLC.).

--
Craig Ringer