Greg, Windows makes it possible to extract and copy non-DRMed applications that you have installed. Is it easy? Maybe not, but it's comparable to copying a Linux package, and is a lot more likely to work compared to an RPM I might try to send someone. As long as Microsoft doesn't interfere with the GPL license, it's all right, even if copying the apps might require specialized tools [1]. This has been discussed before, e.g. in [2].
Laurentiu [1]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/appxpkg/make-appx-package--makeappx-exe- [2]: https://jbkempf.com/blog/Windows-Store-and-the-GPL/ On Wed, Aug 26, 2026, at 16:10, Greg Troxel via QGIS-Developer wrote: > David Strip <[email protected]> writes: > >> On 8/25/2026 4:54 PM, Greg Troxel wrote: >> >>> Great, the next thing to check is if the terms are actually compatible. >>> Enough people are fuzzy on licensing and willing to break the rules >>> because they think app stores are important, that one can't conclude >>> it's ok. >> >> Usual caveat - I am not a lawyer. >> The publisher agreement is here. >> >> The relevant section appears to be 3b - >> >> (b) Third-Party Rights/Open-Source Licenses. Your Offer and Offer Assets >> must not infringe or misappropriate any >> intellectual property or personal right of any third party. If you license >> any portion of your Offer from a third >> party or under any open-source license, you are solely responsible for >> compliance with such terms and for ensuring >> that Microsoft, in its capacity as your agent or commissionaire, has the >> necessary rights to perform its obligations >> to you under this Agreement. You are, at your sole cost and expense, >> responsible for securing, reporting, and >> maintaining all necessary rights, clearances, and consents and paying all >> licensing fees (including applicable public >> performance license fees or other consideration associated with providing >> music or video (and all content embodied >> therein) in and through your Offer), and for undertaking all related >> reporting obligations. >> >> For open source licenses, MS appears to have removed itself from the >> licensing pathway between the person/organization >> submitting the product and the customer. It is thus incumbent on the >> submitter to provide the means for meeting the >> license requirements, such as providing links to the license and source >> code. Perhaps these links could be in the listing >> in the MS Store, or in the about screen of the app. This is already the case >> for the license in QGIS. >> >> Obviously an actual lawyer would need to verify this interpretation. > > There are two sets of terms to consider. One is the agreement between > the "app developer" and MS, and the other is between MS and people that > obtain software from the store. > > The latter I think is at: > https://www.microsoft.com/en-mt/store/b/terms-of-sale > > which does say > > 12. Software Licences and Use Rights. > > Software and other Digital Content, Digital Services and Additional > Services made available to you through the Store are licensed, not > sold, to you. Applications downloaded directly from the Store are > subject to the Standard Application Licence Terms (“SALT”) unless > different licence terms are provided with the application, with the > exception of applications downloaded from the Office Store, which are > not governed by the SALT and have separate license terms that are > provided with the application.) > > This is a key point and seems ok. > > Digital Content and Digital Services and Additional Services obtained > through the Store are subject to the Usage Rules for Digital > Goods. You understand and acknowledge that your rights with respect to > Digital Content, Digital Services and Additional Services are limited > by the Terms of Sale, copyright law and the Usage Rules for Digital > Goods. Software licences purchased through the Store are subject to > the licence agreement that accompanies the software, and you will be > required to agree to the licence agreement before you purchase, > download or install the software. Any reproduction or redistribution > of Digital Content, Digital Services and Additional Services not in > accordance with the relevant licence terms or usage rules, and > applicable law is expressly prohibited and may result in severe > penalties. Violators risk prosecution to the maximum extent of the > law. > > This "Usage Rules" bit sounds quite possibly not OK. The link does not > load for me. > > Please contact Microsoft Store support if you would like a copy of the > applicable licence agreement or warranty for boxed software, at no > cost, before you open any software packaging. > > Other Terms and Conditions. In addition to software and other > downloadable Products, Microsoft may offer to you other Products and > Additional Services available in the Store, subject to separate end > user licence agreements, terms of use, terms of service or other terms > and conditions. If you purchase, install or use those Products or > Additional Services, you may be required to also accept those terms as > a condition of purchase, installation or use. > > > > I think a big open question is if someone downloads e.g. gimp from the > MS Online Store, can they then make a copy of those bits and send them > to someone else? Or are there technical barriers to exercising one's > rights under the Free Software license? > _______________________________________________ > QGIS-Developer mailing list > [email protected] > List info: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer > Unsubscribe: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer _______________________________________________ QGIS-Developer mailing list [email protected] List info: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer Unsubscribe: https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/qgis-developer
