GNU GPL FAQ - Revision history

Andrey.filippov: /* Do I have to pay Elphel any royalties if I will build my cameras using documentation provided by Elphel, Inc? */

2009-06-15T22:46:01Z

Do I have to pay Elphel any royalties if I will build my cameras using documentation provided by Elphel, Inc?

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	GNU GPL is the only license that Elphel provides for our products and we do not sell licenses that allow licensee to close the source code. Our business model does not involve that source of compensation.		GNU GPL is the only license that Elphel provides for our products and we do not sell licenses that allow licensee to close the source code. Our business model does not involve that source of compensation.

			=== Can I keep secret that Elphel cameras are used in our products? ===
			Some companies consider it to be their advantage that they use Elphel cameras inside their products and do not want their competitors to know that. Is it possible?
			In most cases the answer is "no". The only case where it is legal is when you use our (or derived from our) product exclusively in-house without any distribution or sales to others - same as with Free Software. As soon as you start to provide such product to your customers you have an obligation to provide the complete source code to them and can not limit their freedom to distribute the code (and so the fact that the cameras hardware and significant portion of the software and FPGA code are designed at Elphel) by any kind of non-disclosure (or similar) agreements.
	=== Do I have to pay Elphel any royalties if I will build my cameras using documentation provided by Elphel, Inc? ===		=== Do I have to pay Elphel any royalties if I will build my cameras using documentation provided by Elphel, Inc? ===

	No, you do not have to pay any royalties to Elphel if you decide to clone Elphel camera or manufacture an improved derivative product. But in that case you will still be bound by the GNU GPL license for all parts of the firmware and/or hardware code that you plan to reuse and subject to all license compatibility issues described above.		No, you do not have to pay any royalties to Elphel if you decide to clone Elphel camera or manufacture an improved derivative product. But in that case you will still be bound by the GNU GPL license for all parts of the firmware and/or hardware code that you plan to reuse and subject to all license compatibility issues described above.

	=== What do I need to be able to resell your products (or our based on yours) in compliance with the license? ===		=== What do I need to be able to resell your products (or our based on yours) in compliance with the license? ===

Polto at 21:18, 4 June 2009

2009-06-04T21:18:01Z

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	== Questions related to the licensing of Elphel products ==		== Questions related to the licensing of Elphel products ==
	=== On your web site you write that your products come with GNU GPL license. What does it mean for me as an end user? OEM? ===		=== On your web site you write that your products come with GNU GPL license. What does it mean for me as an end user? OEM? ===
	[http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License] is designed to protect your ''freedom'' to modify and distribute covered programs and imposes ''~~restrictions~~'' to ensure that the recipients of your modifications will have the same rights as you do. That means that before you start to develop derivative products you have to carefully read the text of the license and make sure it is compatible with your plans.		[http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License] is designed to protect your ''freedom'' to modify and distribute covered programs and imposes ''conditions'' to ensure that the recipients of your modifications will have the same rights as you do. That means that before you start to develop derivative products you have to carefully read the text of the license and make sure it is compatible with your plans.

	Of course, if you do not have plans to distribute your modifications and intend to use Elphel products only internally, you may skip the reading of the legal stuff and are free to do whatever you like, modify any part of our products and keep all your secrets with you.		Of course, if you do not have plans to distribute your modifications and intend to use Elphel products only internally, you may skip the reading of the legal stuff and are free to do whatever you like, modify any part of our products and keep all your secrets with you.
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	=== Can I install our proprietary software inside the camera and resell it as our product without providing the source code for our additions? ===		=== Can I install our proprietary software inside the camera and resell it as our product without providing the source code for our additions? ===

	Usually yes, but that depends. As with any software running on GNU/Linux system you may install (and distribute) proprietary software without disclosing the source code if it is not ~~compiled with or statically linked to the software cover by the GNU~~ GPL.		Usually yes, but that depends. As with any software running on GNU/Linux system you may install (and distribute) proprietary software without disclosing the source code if it is not derived from GPL-covered code.

	Basically these are the same rules as with the computer running software covered with this license. What is legal on the computer is legal in the camera, what is not - is not.		Basically these are the same rules as with the computer running software covered with this license. What is legal on the computer is legal in the camera, what is not - is not.

OneArtPlease at 13:50, 2 October 2008

2008-10-02T13:50:17Z

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			'''If your question is not covered here please post it in: [[Q_and_A \| Questions and Answers]]'''

			----

	The first topic to be covered is application of [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL] to Elphel products		The first topic to be covered is application of [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL] to Elphel products
	== Questions related to the licensing of Elphel products ==		== Questions related to the licensing of Elphel products ==

Andrey.filippov: /* What do I need to be able to resell your products (or our based on yours) in compliance with the license? */

2008-07-14T06:14:26Z

What do I need to be able to resell your products (or our based on yours) in compliance with the license?

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	We are proud of our designs and care that all users of our hardware receive the freedoms guaranteed by the GNU GPL and would like to help you to ensure license compliance and help to fix the problems if they would come out.		We are proud of our designs and care that all users of our hardware receive the freedoms guaranteed by the GNU GPL and would like to help you to ensure license compliance and help to fix the problems if they would come out.

	All of the Elphel products come with /* source inside */ logo and have the source code of all the firmware and the FPGA code sufficient to rebuild all the code and run it in the cameras. The only exception - sources of the Linux kernel and original Axis software (freely available on the Internet) that are too big to fit in the camera flash memory. We may help you to modify the script that will include your additions/modifications so you could provide the source code in the way we do ourselves.		All of the Elphel products come with /* source inside */ (tm) logo and have the source code of all the firmware and the FPGA code sufficient to rebuild all the code and run it in the cameras. The only exception - sources of the Linux kernel and original Axis software (freely available on the Internet) that are too big to fit in the camera flash memory. We may help you to modify the script that will include your additions/modifications so you could provide the source code in the way we do ourselves.

	=== How do you make money with the open designs? ===		=== How do you make money with the open designs? ===

Kbjra: FAQ moved to GNU GPL FAQ

2008-03-12T20:50:32Z

FAQ moved to GNU GPL FAQ

← Older revision	Revision as of 20:50, 12 March 2008
(No difference)

Kbjra: /* As far as I know GNU GPL is a ''software'' license. How is it applicable to your hardware? */

2006-11-13T22:28:03Z

As far as I know GNU GPL is a ''software'' license. How is it applicable to your hardware?

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	Yes, text of the GNU GPL uses the term 'Program' as the covered object and is based on the copyright law that is not directly applicable to the hardware systems. But as more and more parts of the hardware are acquiring software features, more parts can be covered by the software licenses. Absolute majority of the hardware use some kind of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor microprocessor] that runs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware firmware] and so do Elphel products. We use [http://www.axis.com/ Axis] [http://developer.axis.com ETRAX] processors optimized for and running [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux GNU/Linux] operating system - most parts of it are also covered by GNU GPL. All of the specific software code designed for operating Elphel cameras is also released with the same license.		Yes, text of the GNU GPL uses the term 'Program' as the covered object and is based on the copyright law that is not directly applicable to the hardware systems. But as more and more parts of the hardware are acquiring software features, more parts can be covered by the software licenses. Absolute majority of the hardware use some kind of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor microprocessor] that runs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware firmware] and so do Elphel products. We use [http://www.axis.com/ Axis] [http://developer.axis.com ETRAX] processors optimized for and running [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux GNU/Linux] operating system - most parts of it are also covered by GNU GPL. All of the specific software code designed for operating Elphel cameras is also released with the same license.

	~~High~~ processing speed of Elphel cameras needed for video processing comes from the reconfigurable [http://www.xilinx.com Xilinx] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPGA FPGA] devices. These devices can typically run 100 times faster than the general purpose processors, their ''reconfigurability'' makes it possible to change their code similar to microprocessor firmware. Usually FPGA code is developed using one of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_description_language hardware description languages] such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verilog Verilog] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHDL VHDL] (Elphel products use Verilog) and so the code of these designs can be (and in our case ''is'') protected by the GNU GPL.		The high processing speed of Elphel cameras needed for video processing comes from the reconfigurable [http://www.xilinx.com Xilinx] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPGA FPGA] devices. These devices can typically run 100 times faster than the general purpose processors, their ''reconfigurability'' makes it possible to change their code similar to microprocessor firmware. Usually FPGA code is developed using one of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_description_language hardware description languages] such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verilog Verilog] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHDL VHDL] (Elphel products use Verilog) and so the code of these designs can be (and in our case ''is'') protected by the GNU GPL.

	=== Can I resell your products bundled with our proprietary software running on the connected computers without providing the source code? ===		=== Can I resell your products bundled with our proprietary software running on the connected computers without providing the source code? ===

Kbjra: /* As far as I know GNU GPL is a ''software'' license. How is it applicable to your hardware? */

2006-11-13T22:26:49Z

As far as I know GNU GPL is a ''software'' license. How is it applicable to your hardware?

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:26, 13 November 2006
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	=== As far as I know GNU GPL is a ''software'' license. How is it applicable to your hardware? ===		=== As far as I know GNU GPL is a ''software'' license. How is it applicable to your hardware? ===
	Yes, text of the GNU GPL uses the term 'Program' as the covered object and is based on the copyright law that is not directly applicable to the hardware systems. But as more and more parts of the hardware are acquiring software features more parts can be covered by the software licenses. Absolute majority of the hardware use some kind of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor microprocessor] that runs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware firmware] and so do Elphel products. We use [http://www.axis.com/ Axis] [http://developer.axis.com ETRAX] processors optimized for and running [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux GNU/Linux] operating system - most parts of it are also covered by GNU GPL. All of the specific software code designed for operating Elphel cameras is also released with the same license.		Yes, text of the GNU GPL uses the term 'Program' as the covered object and is based on the copyright law that is not directly applicable to the hardware systems. But as more and more parts of the hardware are acquiring software features, more parts can be covered by the software licenses. Absolute majority of the hardware use some kind of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor microprocessor] that runs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmware firmware] and so do Elphel products. We use [http://www.axis.com/ Axis] [http://developer.axis.com ETRAX] processors optimized for and running [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux GNU/Linux] operating system - most parts of it are also covered by GNU GPL. All of the specific software code designed for operating Elphel cameras is also released with the same license.

	High processing speed of Elphel cameras needed for video processing comes from the reconfigurable [http://www.xilinx.com Xilinx] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPGA FPGA] devices. These devices can typically run 100 times faster than the general purpose processors, their ''reconfigurability'' makes it possible to change their code similar to microprocessor firmware. Usually FPGA code is developed using one of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_description_language hardware description languages] such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verilog Verilog] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHDL VHDL] (Elphel products use Verilog) and so the code of these designs can be (and in our case ''is'') protected by the GNU GPL.		High processing speed of Elphel cameras needed for video processing comes from the reconfigurable [http://www.xilinx.com Xilinx] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPGA FPGA] devices. These devices can typically run 100 times faster than the general purpose processors, their ''reconfigurability'' makes it possible to change their code similar to microprocessor firmware. Usually FPGA code is developed using one of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_description_language hardware description languages] such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verilog Verilog] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHDL VHDL] (Elphel products use Verilog) and so the code of these designs can be (and in our case ''is'') protected by the GNU GPL.

Kbjra: /* On your web site you write that your products come with GNU GPL license. What does it mean for me as an end user? OEM? */

2006-11-13T22:25:46Z

On your web site you write that your products come with GNU GPL license. What does it mean for me as an end user? OEM?

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:25, 13 November 2006
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	[http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License] is designed to protect your ''freedom'' to modify and distribute covered programs and imposes ''restrictions'' to ensure that the recipients of your modifications will have the same rights as you do. That means that before you start to develop derivative products you have to carefully read the text of the license and make sure it is compatible with your plans.		[http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License] is designed to protect your ''freedom'' to modify and distribute covered programs and imposes ''restrictions'' to ensure that the recipients of your modifications will have the same rights as you do. That means that before you start to develop derivative products you have to carefully read the text of the license and make sure it is compatible with your plans.

	Of course, if you do not have plans to distribute your modifications and intend to use Elphel products only internally, you may skip the reading of the legal stuff and are free to do whatever you like, modify any ~~parts~~ of our products and keep all your secrets with you.		Of course, if you do not have plans to distribute your modifications and intend to use Elphel products only internally, you may skip the reading of the legal stuff and are free to do whatever you like, modify any part of our products and keep all your secrets with you.

	=== As far as I know GNU GPL is a ''software'' license. How is it applicable to your hardware? ===		=== As far as I know GNU GPL is a ''software'' license. How is it applicable to your hardware? ===

Kbjra: /* How do you make money with the open designs? */

2006-11-13T21:25:01Z

How do you make money with the open designs?

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	Next - this business model helps startups as it helped Elphel when it was a one-man company. Open designs make it less risky for the customers to use the products and services for big projects, because even if the company goes under it will not take the project to it's grave. It may somewhat slow down new development but you always may continue it on your own or hire specialists who can take over the project.		Next - this business model helps startups as it helped Elphel when it was a one-man company. Open designs make it less risky for the customers to use the products and services for big projects, because even if the company goes under it will not take the project to it's grave. It may somewhat slow down new development but you always may continue it on your own or hire specialists who can take over the project.

	Are we afraid of somebody cloning our products? Not really. There might be ~~too~~ types of cloning - illegal one if the clone will be distributed in violation of the GNU GPL and the fair one if the clone will be built and distributed in compliance with the license.		Are we afraid of somebody cloning our products? Not really. There might be two types of cloning - illegal one if the clone will be distributed in violation of the GNU GPL and the fair one if the clone will be built and distributed in compliance with the license.

	In the first case it will soon come out - now it is virtually impossible to keep your product (and the fact that it is a clone) secret from the Internet community. And even if that would be possible - the product will lack significant part of the features that originals have - features that depend on flexibility ensured by the openness.		In the first case it will soon come out - now it is virtually impossible to keep your product (and the fact that it is a clone) secret from the Internet community. And even if that would be possible - the product will lack significant part of the features that originals have - features that depend on flexibility ensured by the openness.

	Fair cloning or manufacturing of modified versions would not hurt us either. Software and FPGA code developed for compatible products would increase the value of our products too. And there will be code even if the cloning company would not develop code - better availability of the products would drive up number of independent developers. And sure we are constantly working on the new designs and periodically release the new better products.		Fair cloning or manufacturing of modified versions would not hurt us either. Software and FPGA code developed for compatible products would increase the value of our products too. And there will be code even if the cloning company would not develop code - better availability of the products would drive up number of independent developers. And sure we are constantly working on the new designs and periodically release the new better products.

Kbjra: /* What do I need to be able to resell your products (or our based on yours) in compliance with the license? */

2006-11-13T21:24:40Z

What do I need to be able to resell your products (or our based on yours) in compliance with the license?

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	GPL itself describes what is required for compliance, you may also find this [http://gpl-violations.org/faq/vendor-faq.html vendor FAQ] and this [http://gpl-violations.org/faq/sourcecode-faq.html source code FAQ] useful. Below are specifics for Elphel products.		GPL itself describes what is required for compliance, you may also find this [http://gpl-violations.org/faq/vendor-faq.html vendor FAQ] and this [http://gpl-violations.org/faq/sourcecode-faq.html source code FAQ] useful. Below are specifics for Elphel products.

	~~First of all even~~ modified software in the cameras will have to run with GNU/Linux as it is the only software provided for the Axis CPU by the manufacturer. Of course, it is theoretically possible to port some non-free operating system to run in the camera or even write your own, but it is too time consuming to be practical. It would be much easier to modify the hardware to use some other CPU for which it is possible to purchase non-free operating system.		Even modified software in the cameras will have to run with GNU/Linux as it is the only software provided for the Axis CPU by the manufacturer. Of course, it is theoretically possible to port some non-free operating system to run in the camera or even write your own, but it is too time consuming to be practical. It would be much easier to modify the hardware to use some other CPU for which it is possible to purchase non-free operating system.

	And as your device will run GNU/Linux you will need to provide the source code of at least that part of the software on the terms described in the license. Same applies to all of the software that you preserved in the cameras "as is" or modified from the Elphel firmware or any third party software that you obtained with the GNU GPL license.		And as your device will run GNU/Linux you will need to provide the source code of at least that part of the software on the terms described in the license. Same applies to all of the software that you preserved in the cameras "as is" or modified from the Elphel firmware or any third party software that you obtained with the GNU GPL license.