[FFmpeg-trac] #5141(undetermined:new): Eltima violates GPL
FFmpeg
trac at avcodec.org
Fri Jan 15 02:49:31 CET 2016
#5141: Eltima violates GPL
-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
Reporter: llogan | Owner:
Type: license | Status: new
violation | Component:
Priority: normal | undetermined
Version: unspecified | Resolution:
Keywords: | Blocked By:
Blocking: | Reproduced by developer: 0
Analyzed by developer: 0 |
-------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
Comment (by Timothy_Gu):
I am not a lawyer.
Replying to [comment:1 annabrooks]:
> As for no source code available. If you mean player source code, then
according to http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#NFUseGPLPlugins
we don't have to distribute it.
Is FFmpeg a plugin of Eltima Player? Or is it necessary for Eltima Player
to function? If it is an essential part of Eltima Player, it cannot be
considered to be a plugin.
Regardless, I believe that FFmpeg is an aggregate in this specific case:
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#MereAggregation, and thus the
GPL does not apply to Eltima Player.
However, the GPL ''does'' apply to FFmpeg itself. And that's why you need
to distribute the '''source code of FFmpeg''' in one of the fashions
Section 6 of the GPLv3 describes:
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html#section6, in conjunction with
the provisions of Section 4 since you said that no modifications were done
to the FFmpeg source. You will need to check the individual libraries
incorporated in the FFmpeg build as well for their license.
For the record, the `elmediaplayer.dmg` I have just downloaded on
2016-11-14 with SHA-256 hash
`bc7dd96f0094815c01435eada11e04c78031b0b114c27c3e63fa16f9b79d87ee`
contains a copy of `ffmpeg` executable with the following configuration:
{{{
--prefix=/Volumes/Ramdisk/sw --enable-gpl --enable-pthreads --enable-
version3 --enable-libspeex --enable-libvpx --disable-decoder=libvpx
--enable-libmp3lame --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libx264
--enable-avfilter --enable-libopencore_amrwb --enable-libopencore_amrnb
--enable-filters --enable-libgsm --enable-libvidstab --enable-libx265
--arch=x86_64 --enable-runtime-cpudetect
}}}
At least vid.stab, x264, and x265 are distributed under the GPL (be sure
to check the versions of the GPL also). At least libmp3lame is licensed
under the LGPL. x265 [https://bitbucket.org/multicoreware/x265/issues/230
/license-gpl-v2-or-v2 especially ambiguous] in its license version.
Note that even if Eltima Player is GPL you would still have to make
available the source code. (That is why websites like
[http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/ Zeranoe] which distribute FFmpeg in
binary form distribute the corresponding source code as well.)
> If you mean sources of ffmpeg we think that we don't have to open them
too as we did not do any modifications of ffmpeg code. But if ffmpeg
community insists, we can place the copy of current snapshot on our
website. But we think that there is no need to do this. As guided by this
(https://www.ffmpeg.org/legal.html) we should do this when linking against
the FFmpeg libraries (we don't do this).
The legal guide is only that – a guide. The fact that it does not
''mention'' distributing as a separate program does not mean that there
are no conditions for doing so.
>
> As for the license copy. We apologize that we did not do it earlier.
That's our shortcoming and not a deliberate aim to violate the license.
We'll fix this in the nearest future: we will add the license text to the
internal package and mention in our EULA that we use FFmpeg under the
GPLv3.
Yes please. See Section 4 of GPLv3.
--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.ffmpeg.org/ticket/5141#comment:2>
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