[FFmpeg-user] ffmpeg licenses

Tran Quoc Ngan tqngan1984 at gmail.com
Mon Jun 25 16:42:45 CEST 2012


Jonathan,

Thank you !

I got the useful information.

Ngan

On 6/25/12 8:11 PM, Jonathan Tanant wrote:
>
>
> Le 25 juin 2012 à 09:34, Tran Quoc Ngan a écrit :
>
>> Hi Carl,
>>
>> Thank for your information. However, I want to sell my app and don't want publish my app source codes that have to conform with LGPL or GPL licenses, is there an alternative way for me using the library with my purpose (I would pay for it).
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Ngan
>>
>> On 6/25/12 1:27 PM, Carl Eugen Hoyos wrote:
>>> Tran Quoc Ngan<tqngan1984<at>   gmail.com>   writes:
>>>
>>>> I'm planning to develop an app that use ffmpeg library to show all kinds
>>>> of video and audio formats the library support and it's a commercial
>>>> app. I wonder if I could buy a commercial license from you since I can't
>>>> stick with LGPL or GPL licenses for my app.
>>> If you distribute binaries based on FFmpeg you have to stick with
>>> either the LGPL or the GPL, please also see http://ffmpeg.org/legal.html
>>>
>>> Carl Euegn
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> ffmpeg-user mailing list
>>> ffmpeg-user at ffmpeg.org
>>> http://ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user
>> _______________________________________________
>> ffmpeg-user mailing list
>> ffmpeg-user at ffmpeg.org
>> http://ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user
>
> Hi Ngan,
>
> Here is a discussion I had on this list 2 years ago. Exact same subject.
> I ended with a checklist (see below) that is my best bet to be LGPL compliant "in real world" and in an iOS app context.
>
> Beware :-) this subject can be considered as a troll...
> On one hand, this is almost practically impossible to be really LGPL compliant when you develop iOS apps with LGPL libs.
> One other hand, you have to be gratefull and you have to give respect to people who worked hard and put their work under the LGPL, by trying to complain the best you can to the LGPL license.
>
>
> Best,
>
> Jonathan.
>
>
>
>
> Le 18 août 2010 à 10:32, Jonathan Tanant a écrit :
>
>> Here's the modified checklist.
>> I hope that text formatting is not going to be lost :
>>
>> License Compliance Checklist : iPhone app-store application
>>
>> The following is a checklist for LGPL compliance when linking against the FFmpeg libraries. It is not the only way to comply with the license, but we think it is the easiest. There are also a few items that are not really related to LGPL compliance but are good ideas anyway.
>> You are not obliged by the LGPL to follow this list, but consult a copyright lawyer if you choose not to. If you end up violating the LGPL, you will likely end up on our shame list and/or get sued by us.
>> The following list is applicable only if you did not modified FFmpeg.
>> Compile FFmpeg without "--enable-gpl" and without "--enable-nonfree".
>> Since dynamic linking is not allowed by Apple, you have to use static linking for linking with Ffmpeg libraries AND you have to distribute all the object code (.a and .o files) for the user to be able to relink the application with a modified version of Ffmpeg library. The link for the archive must be provided in the application iTunes/appStore download page EULA section.
>> Use dynamic linking (on windows, this means linking to dlls) for linking with FFmpeg libraries.
>> Distribute the source code of FFmpeg, no matter if you modified it or not.
>> Make sure the source code corresponds exactly to the library binaries you are distributing.
>> Run the command "svn diff . libswscale>  changes.diff" in the root directory of the FFmpeg source code to create a file with only the changes.
>> Explain how you compiled FFmpeg, for example the configure line, in a text file added to the root directory of the source code.
>> Use tarball or a zip file for distributing the object code source code.
>> Host the FFmpeg source code on the same webserver as the binary you are distributing.
>> Add "This software uses code of<a href=http://ffmpeg.org>FFmpeg</a>  licensed under the<a href=http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.1.html>LGPLv2.1</a>  and its source can be downloaded<a href=link_to_your_sources>here</a>" to every page in your website where there is a download link to your application. The concerned pages are all pages where an 'available on appStore' link is present.
>> Mention "This software uses libraries from the FFmpeg project under the LGPLv2.1" in your program Splash screen "about box".
>> Mention in your application iTunes/appStore download page EULA section EULA that your program uses FFmpeg under the LGPLv2.1.
>> If your application iTunes/appStore download page EULA section EULA claims ownership over the code, you have to explicitly mention that you do not own FFmpeg, and where the relevant owners can be found.
>> Remove any prohibition of reverse engineering from your application iTunes/appStore download page EULA section EULA.
>> Apply the same changes to all translations of your application iTunes/appStore download page EULA section EULA.
>> Do not misspell FFmpeg (two capitals F and lowercase "mpeg").
>> Do not rename FFmpeg dlls to some obfuscated name, but adding a suffix or prefix is fine (renaming "avcodec.dll" to "MyProgDec.dll" is not fine, but to "avcodec-MyProg.dll" is).
>> Go through all the items again for any LGPL external library you compiled into FFmpeg (for example LAME).
>> Make sure your program is not using any GPL libraries (notably libx264). Sorry for the newbie question, but how can I be sure of that ? (if –enable-gpl switch is not used, is this ok ?)
>>
>> Le 18 août 2010 à 10:09, Jonathan Tanant a écrit :
>>
>>> Sorry to feeding the troll, but I think that all of this is important for iPhone users.
>>>
>>> I found some interesting writing about LGPL and iPhone :
>>> http://huyzing.com/2009/08/24/compatibility-between-the-iphone-app-store-and-the-lgpl/
>>>
>>> So I'm going to write an how-to-use-FFMPEG-in-commercial-iPhone-app udapted version of the checklist that I will submit here.
>>> Personnally, I want to be sure that I won't get in trouble because I use FFMPEG on iPhone. I'm a small freelance developer, Ok I'm going to be paid for the job, but not enough to hire a lawyer and to go on court. So if things are too legally complicated, I prefer to give up the FFMPEG way...
>>> would be so bad...
>>>
>>> So just one question :
>>> When we say "give the objet code", that means all the .a and .o only ? We're not talking about the headers, the project files, ... ?
>>>
>>> Jonathan.
>>>
>>> Le 18 août 2010 à 04:04, Phil Rhodes a écrit :
>>>
>>>>> Don't like it? Fuck off then.
>>>> What, with all the iPhone users? OK, then!
>>>>
>>>> I'm so very impressed - you've spent hours writing code, then cleverly made it impossible for a large number of people to use it. Victory, clearly, is yours.
>>>>
>>>> P
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> ffmpeg-user mailing list
>>>> ffmpeg-user at mplayerhq.hu
>>>> https://lists.mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> ffmpeg-user at mplayerhq.hu
>>> https://lists.mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user
>>>
>>
>>
>>
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