Re: PHP licensing issues

Hi, first of all: Please direct license questions to The PHP Group at group at php.net who hold the PHP copyright. Secondly I'm no lawyer so the following might be wrong. The PHP project uses GPL code only in form of build utilities (autotools and friends) this doesn't make PHP derived work from GPL code, so the GPL can't be applied. The only exception might be the readline extension which can be linked against libedit or readline, if readline is used he resulting binary might only be re-distributable under GPL-compatible terms, this can be avoided by using libedit. Redistribution in source of LGPL licensed in combination with PHP License isn't a problem either, for the resulting license of binaries consisting of LGPL and PHP Licensed code please talk to your lawyer ;-) johannes On Tue, 2009-05-19 at 11:21 +0300, Ossi.Niiranen@tieto.com wrote: > Dear all, > > I had some difficulties deciding which of the email lists should I post > my query to, but in the end figured that this might be a quality issue > so perhaps this is the right list. > > We are reviewing the licensing of the standard PHP distribution to > identify all relevant licenses and their corresponding license > obligations that we need to comply with if we distribute PHP. I figured > it would be a relatively simple task with the PHP website stating that > the main license is the PHP license and other licenses are compatible > with it. Having now run a source code checker on the distribution, I was > surprised to find out several instances of GPL and LGPL licensed code, > and am now concerned that due to the GPL/LGPL copyleft effect we should > in fact be distributing the whole under the GPL. > > A few GPL/LGPL licensed components/files include: > - Various Zend files included with the distribution > - Files in ext/mbstring/libmbfl/mbfl/ (many if not all of them seem to > form part of the "streamable kanji code filter and converter") > > I assume these issues have already been looked at and there's a simple > explanation for the perceived license conflict, but I did not find any > reference to them in the mailing list archives. Would someone mind > clarifying it? > > > > > > -- > Ossi Niiranen, Legal Counsel > > TIETO, Legal & IPR > ossi.niiranen@tieto.com, direct +358 (0)2072 68720, mobile +358 (0)40 > 554 0071, fax +358 (0)2072 68898 > Aku Korhosen tie 2-6, FI-00440 HELSINKI, P.O.Box 38, FI-00441 HELSINKI, > www.tieto.com > > The information contained in this e-mail is privileged and confidential, > intended only for the use of the recipient named above. If the reader of > this message is not the above mentioned recipient please note that any > saving, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. > Please notify us promptly by telephone +358 9 862 6000 or e-mail should > you have received such misdirected messages and kindly destroy this > e-mail. Thank You. > > >