[legal] Compatibility of GPL with Apache

[Peter Roozemaal]

Karthik Venkateswaran wrote:
> I have a question with regards to compatibility of Apache license
> with GPLv2.
> 
> Just for a background this question is for integrating two packages
> LUCI (Based on Apache license) and Openwrt (Based on GPLv2).

A good starting point would be to look at what the FSF says about
license compatibility: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html

> Would like to know the following:
> 
> 1. LUCI is already ported as a package on Openwrt, will it
> automatically be part of GPLv2. Considering that the package is built
> separately independent of Openwrt.
Nope, I guess LUCI is distributed as "independent work", so it will
still be under the Apache license.

> 2. Might be wrong to ask this in GPL forum, nevertheless if LUCI
> (which is under a permissive license) is modified. Then ported on a
> proprietary framework including an attribution to Apache license. Is
> this ok?
AFAIK you can do that with Apache code.

> 3. Finally, if I modify the Apache licensed LUCI and port it on GPLv2
>  framework. Would the proprietary code be entitled under GPLv2?
The answers depend too much on the details of how the code is actually
used in the framework. There are people around that can give you
commercial advice (under NDA if you want that).


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Please don't send stupid disclaimers to public mailing lists.

Peter.