Debasish Sahu wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I am planning to build and sell a proprietary commercial application 
> using the GeoServer WMS and WFS services.
> Do my code need to be GPL ?
> 
If you are just using the standard WMS and WFS services I believe you do 
not need your code to be GPL.

> I also plan to distribute GeoServer with my application setup. Will I 
> need to GPL my code ?
> 

I believe that if you are distributing GeoServer directly with the 
application then you do need to GPL your code.  But there are ways 
around this that I've heard of.  I don't know specifically how they 
work, but I think if you have the installer pull it in on its own, or 
have people download a separate package then it might be ok.  But I'm 
not a lawyer.

Another option that we've discussed before is being able to dual license 
GeoServer.  See http://geoserver.org/display/GEOSDOC/8+Licensing and 
http://geoserver.org/display/GEOSDOC/Contributor+Agreement

We never quite finished up everything needed for it, and it's been 
awhile since we discussed it, so the community's thinking may have 
changed.  But if you'd be willing to pay a license fee to sell a non-gpl 
version we could get that discussion going again.  Our last thinking was 
that we want to ensure that something goes back to the project.  This 
would start as funding, but for companies that have someone on the PSC, 
which is an indication that they're clearly contributing back, it would 
be less money - to give organizations an incentive to contribute more code.

Chris

> -- 
> Thanks and Warm Regards
> Debasish Sahu
> 
> -- 
> Thanks and Warm Regards
> Debasish Sahu
> 
> 
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-- 
Chris Holmes
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.

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ahead of the curve. Join us from November 9 - 12, 2009. Register now!
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