<div dir="ltr">Nigel's list is biased towards paranoia. Paranoia is a healthy default But it is OK, for example, to ship useful standalone GPL tools to customers in a zip file that happens to also contain proprietary code of yours that does not use those tools.<div><br></div><div>As always, if in doubt you should consult a lawyer and the license. And don't rely on opinions from a mailing list.</div><div><br></div><div>One final note, I would recommend that it may be worth your while to find a lawyer with open source experience, and not just familiarity with intellectual property. Open source licenses are somewhat unusual, and there are common misunderstandings around, for instance, how the GPL works that a general lawyer is likely to spend time working through the first time. (Is this a contract? Does it apply if it is not a contract?) While lawyers are generally happy to research things on your dime, this is not always an efficient use of your money...<br><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 9:29 AM, Tzeng, Nigel H. <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:Nigel.Tzeng@jhuapl.edu" target="_blank">Nigel.Tzeng@jhuapl.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div style="word-wrap:break-word;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:14px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">
<div>
<div>Cindy advice is best but the quick and dirty answer for you given the two things you stated:</div>
</div><span>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none"><span lang="EN-GB">We do not modify or enhance the open source code of the used libraries.<u></u><u></u></span></span></li><li><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:-webkit-standard;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none"><span lang="EN-GB">At last, our code must be kept as proprietary and we don’t consider providing the source
code using the opens source libraries.</span></span></li></ul>
</div>
</span><div>Good: Apache, BSD, MIT and other permissively licensed open source code. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Maybe Good: LGPL, MPL and weak copyleft licensed open source code.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Not Good: GPL and any strong copyleft licensed open source code.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Review your code base and anything that used GPL source code in an Android/iOS app or Windows/MacOS/Linux program is an issue. On your internal server if you used any AGPL code it may be an issue.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Your normal lawyer should be able to find you an IP lawyer but you might as well start going over your code base.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Regards,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Nigel</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<span id="m_4851357743235395120m_7730503871831870959OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION">
<div style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11pt;text-align:left;color:black;BORDER-BOTTOM:medium none;BORDER-LEFT:medium none;PADDING-BOTTOM:0in;PADDING-LEFT:0in;PADDING-RIGHT:0in;BORDER-TOP:#b5c4df 1pt solid;BORDER-RIGHT:medium none;PADDING-TOP:3pt">
<span style="font-weight:bold">From: </span>License-discuss <<a href="mailto:license-discuss-bounces@opensource.org" target="_blank">license-discuss-bounces@opens<wbr>ource.org</a>> on behalf of Cinly Ooi <<a href="mailto:cinly.ooi@gmail.com" target="_blank">cinly.ooi@gmail.com</a>><br>
<span style="font-weight:bold">Reply-To: </span>"<a href="mailto:cooi@theiet.org" target="_blank">cooi@theiet.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:cooi@theiet.org" target="_blank">cooi@theiet.org</a>>, License Discuss <<a href="mailto:license-discuss@opensource.org" target="_blank">license-discuss@opensource.or<wbr>g</a>><br>
<span style="font-weight:bold">Date: </span>Monday, November 28, 2016 at 7:51 AM<br>
<span style="font-weight:bold">To: </span>License Discuss <<a href="mailto:license-discuss@opensource.org" target="_blank">license-discuss@opensource.or<wbr>g</a>><br>
<span style="font-weight:bold">Subject: </span>Re: [License-discuss] Using opensource in a company not in the software business<br>
</div><div><div class="m_4851357743235395120h5">
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>You _are_ in the software business.<br>
<br>
</div>
The correct person to evaluate your case is your lawyer. <br>
<br>
</div>
As Woolley said, regardless of which the license of the software you choose uses, you still have responsibility under open source license, and your customers have expectations as provided for by the license.
<br>
<br>
It is the same whether it is open source license or close source license<br>
<br>
</div>
Your lawyer will look at each license you need to use and apply it to see whether it meets your business objective.<br>
<br>
Another good place to start is to see is there any local people who can talk you through it for the price of a coffee. However, your lawyer has the final say.<br>
</div>
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all">
<div>
<div class="m_4851357743235395120m_7730503871831870959gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Best Regards,<br>
Cinly<br>
<br>
*****<br>
“There should not be an over-emphasis on what computers tell you, because they only tell you what you tell them to tell you,” -- Joe Sutter, Boeing 747 Chief Engineer.<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On 28 November 2016 at 10:23, FREJAVILLE Etienne <span dir="ltr">
<<a href="mailto:etienne.frejaville@coface.com" target="_blank">etienne.frejaville@coface.com</a><wbr>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="FR">
<div class="m_4851357743235395120m_7730503871831870959m_-7535534949844709110WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Hello,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I'm sorry for asking a question that has probably been answered in the past, but I couldn't find a clear and precise answer on the subject on your website or any web resource.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We are a private company and we wonder how to deal with developments using open source.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">First of all we are not a software company, and therefore we just provide software applications to our customers, so that they can use our services/buy our products.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We develop with code that may use opensource, both:<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">- 1. Pure internal software<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">- 2. Software for our customers provided as Web applications (that obviously interacts with a part of our internal software).<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">- 3. Software for our customers provided as mobile applications (IOS&Android apps) that interacts with a part of our internal software.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The usage we make of opensource, is either use the opensource products as standalone products (e.g Maven, Kados..), or use them ‘as is’ as libraries (most java or javascript) (e.g POI, jQuery...).<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We do not modify or enhance the open source code of the used libraries.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">At last, our code must be kept as proprietary and we don’t consider providing the source code using the opens source libraries.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I have read quite a few pages on the <a href="http://opensource.org" target="_blank">
opensource.org</a> website, the FAQ and other external papers, but it seems that the licences discussions and restrictions, concern most of the time the usage of the open source in commercial products, or concern the distribution of open sources modifications.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">First of all, I would like to know if a software provided to our customers in our case, is considered in the open source terminology as a 'customer product'.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Second, I would like to understand what 'distribution' stands for. Is distributing a web application or mobile application considered 'distribution' ?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">We provide some binary code that may contain usages of open source libraries, to some of our subsidiaries. Is it also considered as 'distribution' ?<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The idea behind these questions is to know if in fact we have to care about using Open source software or not in our situation..<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">If indeed we provide a commercial product and we are considering distributing software that may require the usage of opensource libraries for being able to work, indeed, I guess we are concerned by Open source usage.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">If it's the case, I will have more precise questions regarding the usage we make of these libraries, to understand what licences we may use and what we may not.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you.<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<div>******************************<wbr>******************************<wbr>**********<br>
Le groupe Coface, un leader mondial de l'assurance-crédit, propose aux entreprises du monde entier des solutions pour les protéger contre le risque de défaillance financière de leurs clients. Ses 4 400 collaborateurs assurent un service de proximité dans 67
pays.<br>
<br>
The Coface Group, a worldwide leader in credit insurance, offers companies around the globe solutions to protect them against the risk of financial default of their clients. 4 400 staff in 67 countries provide a local service worldwide.
<br>
<br>
<br>
Confidentialité/Internet disclaimer<br>
<br>
Ce message ainsi que les fichiers attachés sont exclusivement adressés aux destinataires désignés et peuvent contenir des informations à caractère confidentiel. Si vous n'êtes pas le destinataire désigné, merci de prendre contact avec l'expéditeur et de détruire
ce message, sans en faire un quelconque usage ni en prendre aucune copie.<br>
Les messages électroniques sur Internet peuvent être interceptés, modifiés, altérés, détruits, ou contenir des virus. L'expéditeur ne pourra être tenu responsable des erreurs ou omissions qui résulteraient de la transmission par voie électronique.<br>
<br>
This message and the attachments are exclusively addressed to their designated addresses. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete the message without making any use or copying it.<br>
E-Mail transmissions could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message which arise as a result of e-mail transmission.<br>
******************************<wbr>******************************<wbr>**********<br>
</div>
</div>
<br>
______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
License-discuss mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:License-discuss@opensource.org" target="_blank">License-discuss@opensource.org</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.opensource.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lists.opensource.org/c<wbr>gi-bin/mailman/listinfo/licens<wbr>e-discuss</a><br>
<br>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div></span>
</div>
<br>______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
License-discuss mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:License-discuss@opensource.org" target="_blank">License-discuss@opensource.org</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.opensource.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lists.opensource.org/c<wbr>gi-bin/mailman/listinfo/licens<wbr>e-discuss</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br></div></div></div></div>