[License-discuss] GPLv2+ce question - are you forced to make your project open source.

[B Galliart]

You seem to be stuck on information about the GPLv2.  The GPLv2+CE isn't
just two letters added on to the name.  The Classpath Exception means it is
possible to link to the Java API in the classpath and still be an
independent work.

If you are redistributing Amazon Corretto or any other OpenJDK as-is
without modification then you must do the following for everyone you
provide it to:

(1) You must make them aware the product included Amazon Corretto and it
being covered under the terms of the GPLv2+CE

(2) You must provide them a complete copy of the GPLv2+CE text

(3) You must notify them where they can obtain the complete source code to
the GPLv2+CE covered work

As long as you make no modification to the JRE and your product does
directly use code copied from OpenJDK source code, then your product would
be considered a non-derivative work.  There is still benefits to making a
commercial product open source and it is a myth that open source prohibits
making a profit, but I'm not going to be the one to convince you of that.

The "problems" as you had believed them come into play for code that is a
derivative work.  Such as:

(A) If you modified the OpenJDK source code itself then those modification
must be released under the GPLv2+CE.  The rest of the product does not need
to be.  For example, if you needed to make performance improvements to the
java runtime then that change to the JRE is open source.

(B) If you copied code from the OpenJDK source code and put it directly
into your product instead of only calling it via the API.  In that case,
your entire application is a derivative work.  If you don't want to follow
that requirement then don't copy the code directly into the application.

On Thu, Oct 3, 2019 at 10:31 AM richard dagenais <rdagenais at live.co.uk>
wrote:

>
>
> Hello
>
> I am seeking your expertise in answer a question I have regarding
> GPLv2+ce  and Amazon Corretto OpenJDK 8.
>
>
> Someone has mentioned that in order to be able to use the open source
> software you must make your software open source as well.  Our software is
> not open source and we do not want to make open source. Is it possible to
> simply include the open source Java runtime in our packaging, which is a
> commercial product?  For our situation, we are not modifying any part of
> the open source code but using it to generate byte code from our code base.
> We also would need to distribute the Java JRE of the open source project
> with our code in order to run the application.
>
>
> Link to GPLv2 I have found.
>
>
> https://openjdk.java.net/legal/gplv2+ce.html
>
>
> Thank you. Best regards
>
> Richard
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> License-discuss mailing list
> License-discuss at lists.opensource.org
>
> http://lists.opensource.org/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org
>
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