Comments on: Making Money With WordPress Plugins – Mixing the GNU License With Others http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others Think More, Code Less! - Intelligent WordPress Solutions Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:51:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 By: Hackadelic http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others/comment-page-1#comment-6446 Hackadelic Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:43:21 +0000 http://hackadelic.com/?p=472#comment-6446 It is "<strong>crystal</strong> clear"??? Here's what they say on the site you appointed (emphasis mine): <blockquote>There is some legal <em>grey area</em> regarding <em>what is considered a derivative work</em>, but <em>we feel strongly</em> that plugins and themes are derivative work and thus inherit the GPL license.</blockquote> So they don't know whether their position is legal or not, but they <strong>feel</strong> they are right. And from that you conclude that it is "crystal clear" plugins are derivative, even if they say they don't know themselves? What a ridiculous bunch of propaganda BS. It is “crystal clear”???

Here’s what they say on the site you appointed (emphasis mine):

There is some legal grey area regarding what is considered a derivative work, but we feel strongly that plugins and themes are derivative work and thus inherit the GPL license.

So they don’t know whether their position is legal or not, but they feel they are right. And from that you conclude that it is “crystal clear” plugins are derivative, even if they say they don’t know themselves?

What a ridiculous bunch of propaganda BS.

]]> By: Lukas http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others/comment-page-1#comment-6416 Lukas Fri, 07 Oct 2011 06:22:13 +0000 http://hackadelic.com/?p=472#comment-6416 I know it wasn't very clear back in 2009 but it's crystal clear now - plugins actually are derivatives of WordPress and therefore must be licensed under GPL2: http://wordpress.org/about/license/ I know it wasn’t very clear back in 2009 but it’s crystal clear now – plugins actually are derivatives of WordPress and therefore must be licensed under GPL2: http://wordpress.org/about/license/

]]> By: Gary http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others/comment-page-1#comment-5982 Gary Sat, 25 Dec 2010 15:45:53 +0000 http://hackadelic.com/?p=472#comment-5982 Excellent info. The wordpress codex certainly doesn't make this clear. they say: <blockquote cite="http://codex.wordpress.org/Writing_a_Plugin#License">It is customary to follow the standard header with information about licensing for the Plugin. Most Plugins use the GPL2 license used by WordPress or a license compatible with the GPL2.</blockquote> Obviously, they don't say you cannot use a non-GPL license. So, based on what you said, you could create a GPL theme for WordPress, and instead of including the non-GPL plug-ins, you can include a GPL plug in that downloads and installs non-GPL plug-ins. (I don't know technically if you can activate one plug-in from another but you can at least download it to the plugins directory.) Maybe the GPL version can have a "buy now" button or something. Not that I have plans to do that, just a thought. Excellent info. The wordpress codex certainly doesn’t make this clear. they say:

It is customary to follow the standard header with information about licensing for the Plugin. Most Plugins use the GPL2 license used by WordPress or a license compatible with the GPL2.

Obviously, they don’t say you cannot use a non-GPL license.

So, based on what you said, you could create a GPL theme for WordPress, and instead of including the non-GPL plug-ins, you can include a GPL plug in that downloads and installs non-GPL plug-ins. (I don’t know technically if you can activate one plug-in from another but you can at least download it to the plugins directory.) Maybe the GPL version can have a “buy now” button or something.

Not that I have plans to do that, just a thought.

]]> By: Hackadelic http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others/comment-page-1#comment-5945 Hackadelic Sun, 05 Dec 2010 14:04:37 +0000 http://hackadelic.com/?p=472#comment-5945 Paul, I wasn't talking about "selling", and definitely not about selling WP. My point was that passing on a plugin or theme a dev has received is, ultimately, distribution, and as such is covered by copyright law. Particularly, the "customization" you mention is a prime example of a "derivative work", while a newly developed plugin is not. See <a href="/the-gpl-faq-has-no-legal-validity" rel="nofollow">my recent post</a>, also on the GPL FAQ you referred to. Paul, I wasn’t talking about “selling”, and definitely not about selling WP. My point was that passing on a plugin or theme a dev has received is, ultimately, distribution, and as such is covered by copyright law. Particularly, the “customization” you mention is a prime example of a “derivative work”, while a newly developed plugin is not. See my recent post, also on the GPL FAQ you referred to.

]]> By: Paul http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others/comment-page-1#comment-5939 Paul Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:42:21 +0000 http://hackadelic.com/?p=472#comment-5939 Interesting post, but GNU seems to disagree on the plugin issue: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins On the issue of Web Devs 'selling' Wordpress, I see it more as the web dev installing and configuring the software for the customer, and then providing the customization code as required. So it's a combination of labour to install/configure GPL software, and the labour of producing custom code. Cheers Paul Interesting post, but GNU seems to disagree on the plugin issue:

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins

On the issue of Web Devs ‘selling’ WordPress, I see it more as the web dev installing and configuring the software for the customer, and then providing the customization code as required. So it’s a combination of labour to install/configure GPL software, and the labour of producing custom code.

Cheers

Paul

]]> By: The Journey of Custom Plugin Design for WP | The Shopping Network http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others/comment-page-1#comment-4353 The Journey of Custom Plugin Design for WP | The Shopping Network Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:22:26 +0000 http://hackadelic.com/?p=472#comment-4353 [...] Making Money With WordPress Plugins – Mixing the GNU License With Others [...] [...] Making Money With WordPress Plugins – Mixing the GNU License With Others [...]

]]> By: Hackadelic http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others/comment-page-1#comment-3554 Hackadelic Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:45:24 +0000 http://hackadelic.com/?p=472#comment-3554 W-Shadow, basically the main (and actually only) argument that a plugin is "derivative work" is that it is calling platform code. IMO that's a misconception. I just <a href="http://www.webmaster-source.com/2009/01/29/why-theyre-wrong-wordpress-plugins-shouldnt-have-to-be-gpl/#IDComment30044608" rel="nofollow">commented on the topic elsewhere</a>, so I'll simply quote myself here: :-) <blockquote>Calling WP functions is essentially executing code, not deriving from it. You build every software in the context of some knowledge, and in case of WP plugins it is the knowledge about the WP API. That doesn't mean you derive your plugin's functionality from that of WordPress. That would be a ridiculous statement, no matter the lines of code. It would mean that interfacing with 3rd party software is "deriving" from it. Or that coding a PDF reader from scratch is work derived from Adobe's PDF code, just because you rely on the PDF format definition (which IS your interface in that case).</blockquote> The point is, <strong>plugins are not derivative work</strong> (except they are indeed a variation of some WP code, and are not merely interfacing with it), even if they are <em>dependent work</em>. I'm not a lawyer though... W-Shadow, basically the main (and actually only) argument that a plugin is “derivative work” is that it is calling platform code. IMO that’s a misconception. I just commented on the topic elsewhere, so I’ll simply quote myself here: :-)

Calling WP functions is essentially executing code, not deriving from it. You build every software in the context of some knowledge, and in case of WP plugins it is the knowledge about the WP API. That doesn’t mean you derive your plugin’s functionality from that of WordPress. That would be a ridiculous statement, no matter the lines of code. It would mean that interfacing with 3rd party software is “deriving” from it. Or that coding a PDF reader from scratch is work derived from Adobe’s PDF code, just because you rely on the PDF format definition (which IS your interface in that case).

The point is, plugins are not derivative work (except they are indeed a variation of some WP code, and are not merely interfacing with it), even if they are dependent work.

I’m not a lawyer though…

]]> By: W-Shadow http://hackadelic.com/making-money-with-wordpress-plugins-mixing-the-gnu-license-with-others/comment-page-1#comment-3550 W-Shadow Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:02:56 +0000 http://hackadelic.com/?p=472#comment-3550 You make a good point, but it doesn't adress the question of whether plugins are "derivative works". If they are, they still have to be GPL-licensed even if not distributed together with WordPress. You make a good point, but it doesn’t adress the question of whether plugins are “derivative works”. If they are, they still have to be GPL-licensed even if not distributed together with WordPress.

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