13ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> 27dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<html> 37dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<head> 47dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<title>Conditions to distribute Ghostscript in a commercial context</title> 5*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<!-- $Id: Commprod.htm,v 1.41 2005/10/20 19:46:23 ray Exp $ --> 67dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- Originally: commprod.txt --> 73ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="gs.css" title="Ghostscript Style"> 87dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</head> 97dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 107dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<body> 117dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [1.0 begin visible header] ============================================ --> 127dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 137dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [1.1 begin headline] ================================================== --> 147dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 153ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<h1>Conditions on distributing Ghostscript in a commercial context</h1> 167dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 177dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [1.1 end headline] ==================================================== --> 187dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 197dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [1.2 begin table of contents] ========================================= --> 207dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 217dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<h2>Table of contents</h2> 227dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 233ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<ul> 247dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<li><a href="#Free_version">The use of the public-access "free" version of Ghostscript</a> 257dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<li><a href="#GPL">The GNU General Public License (GPL)</a> 263ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier</ul> 277dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 287dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [1.2 end table of contents] =========================================== --> 297dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 307dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [1.3 begin hint] ====================================================== --> 317dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 327dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 337dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierThis document sets forth the conditions under which Ghostscript may be 343ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierdistributed in a commercial context: under a written license from <a 353ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierhref="#Artifex">Artifex Software</a> Inc., the copyright holder's exclusive 363ff48bf5SDavid du Colombiercommercial licensing partner, or under certain other very limited 377dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierconditions. 387dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 397dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p>For other information, see the <a href="Readme.htm">Ghostscript 407dd7cddfSDavid du Colombieroverview</a>. 417dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 427dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [1.3 end hint] ======================================================== --> 437dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 447dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [1.0 end visible header] ============================================== --> 457dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 467dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<hr> 477dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 487dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [2.0 begin contents] ================================================== --> 497dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 503ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<h2><a name="Free_version"></a>Use of the public-access "free" 513ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierversion of Ghostscript</h2> 527dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 537dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 543ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierGhostscript is a copyrighted work whose copyright is owned by artofcode LLC. 553ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierSome versions of Ghostscript are distributed freely under the name AFPL 563ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierGhostscript or (for older versions) Aladdin Ghostscript; these versions are 573ff48bf5SDavid du Colombieralways distributed with a license, called the <a href="Public.htm">Aladdin 58*593dc095SDavid du ColombierFree Public License</a> (also known as the AFPL), which permits redistribution 59*593dc095SDavid du Colombierunder certain conditions. These 603ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierconditions will almost always be met easily by individuals in their personal 613ff48bf5SDavid du Colombieruse of AFPL Ghostscript. AFPL Ghostscript may be <em>used</em> freely, 623ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierincluding by commercial entities for evaluation or unsupported internal use. 633ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierHowever, <em>distribution</em> for commercial purposes of Ghostscript, or 643ff48bf5SDavid du Colombieranything containing or derived from Ghostscript in whole or in part, 653ff48bf5SDavid du Colombiergenerally requires a written commercial license from <a 663ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierhref="#Artifex">Artifex Software Inc.</a>, the sole entity authorized by the 673ff48bf5SDavid du Colombiercopyright holder to grant such licenses. More specifically, the AFPL 683ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierstates: 697dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 707dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<blockquote> 717dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierDistribution of the Program or any work based on the Program by a 727dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiercommercial organization to any third party is prohibited if any payment is 737dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiermade in connection with such distribution, whether directly (as in payment 747dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierfor a copy of the Program) or indirectly (as in payment for some service 757dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierrelated to the Program, or payment for some product or service that 767dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierincludes a copy of the Program "without charge"; these are only examples, 777dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierand not an exhaustive enumeration of prohibited activities). However, the 787dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierfollowing methods of distribution involving payment shall not in and of 797dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierthemselves be a violation of this restriction: 807dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 817dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<dl compact> 827dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<dt>(i)<dd>Posting the Program on a public access information storage and 837dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierretrieval service for which a fee is received for retrieving information 847dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier(such as an on-line service), provided that the fee is not 857dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiercontent-dependent (i.e., the fee would be the same for retrieving the same 867dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiervolume of information consisting of random data). 877dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 887dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<dt>(ii)<dd>Distributing the Program on a CD-ROM, provided that the files 897dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiercontaining the Program are reproduced entirely and verbatim on such CD-ROM, 907dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierand provided further that all information on such CD-ROM be redistributable 917dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierfor non-commercial purposes without charge. 927dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</dl> 937dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</blockquote> 947dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 957dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 967dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierThe intent of the exception provided in clause (i) is to allow commercial 977dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierorganizations operating an FTP server or a bulletin board to distribute 983ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierAFPL Ghostscript freely from it, provided that: 997dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1007dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<dl compact> 1017dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<dt>(1)<dd>the organization complies with the other provisions of the 1027dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierAFPL, which include among other things a requirement to distribute the 1033ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierfull source code of AFPL Ghostscript and of any derived work, and to 1043ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierdistribute the AFPL itself along with AFPL Ghostscript; 1057dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1063ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<dt>(2)<dd>the only charge for downloading AFPL Ghostscript is a charge 1077dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierbased on the distribution service and not one based on the content of the 1087dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierinformation being retrieved (i.e., the charge would be the same for 1097dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierretrieving a random collection of bits of the same size); 1107dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1117dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<dt>(3)<dd>the server or BBS is accessible to the general public, i.e., 1127dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierthe phone number or IP address is not kept secret, and anyone may obtain 1137dd7cddfSDavid du Colombieraccess to the information (possibly by paying a subscription or access fee 1147dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierthat is not dependent on or related to purchasing anything else). 1157dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</dl> 1167dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1177dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 1187dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierSimilarly, the exception in clause (ii) is intended to allow inclusion of 1193ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierAFPL Ghostscript on "freeware" CD-ROMs that contain only material that 1207dd7cddfSDavid du Colombieris in the public domain, or is freely redistributable provided only that a 1217dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiercopyright notice is retained (such as the Independent JPEG Group 1227dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierlibraries), or is distributed under some other kind of license allowing 1237dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierfree redistribution such as the GNU 1247dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">General Public License</a>. 1257dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1267dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 1277dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierIf you want to distribute software in a commercial context that 1287dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierincorporates Ghostscript and you do <em>not</em> want to meet these 1297dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierconditions, you should contact <a href="#Artifex">Artifex Software</a> to 1307dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierfind out about commercial licensing. Commercial licenses involve a 131*593dc095SDavid du Colombier(negotiated) payment, and includes support and other benefits. These are 132*593dc095SDavid du Colombierthe only ways you legally can distribute AFPL Ghostscript or anything containing 133*593dc095SDavid du ColombierAFPL Ghostscript: either by distributing Ghostscript under the 1347dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierrequirements of the AFPL, or by getting a commercial license from Artifex 1357dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierSoftware. 1367dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1377dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 1387dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<a name="Artifex"></a>For commercial licensing, please contact: 1397dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1407dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<blockquote><address> 1417dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierLicensing Information<br> 1427dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierArtifex Software Inc.<br> 1437dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier454 Las Gallinas Ave., suite 108<br> 1447dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierSan Rafael, CA 94903 U.S.A.<br> 1457dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier+1-415-492-9861 telephone<br> 1467dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier+1-415-492-9862 fax<br> 1477dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<a href="mailto:info@artifex.com">info@artifex.com</a><br> 1487dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<a href="http://www.artifex.com/">http://www.artifex.com/</a> 1497dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</address></blockquote> 1507dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1517dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 1527dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierIf you have questions about the information in this document, please 1537dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiercontact: 1547dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1557dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<blockquote><address> 1563ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierartofcode LLC<br> 1573ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier940 Tyler St. Studio 6<br> 1583ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierBenicia CA 94510 U.S.A.<br> 1593ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier+1-707-746-6398 fax<br> 1603ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<a href="mailto:raph@artofcode.com">raph@artofcode.com</a><br> 1617dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<a href="http://www.ghostscript.com/">http://www.ghostscript.com/</a> 1627dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</address></blockquote> 1637dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1643ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<h2><a name="GPL"></a>The GNU General Public License (GPL)</h2> 1657dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1667dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 167*593dc095SDavid du ColombierOlder versions of Ghostscript (usually the previous major release of AFPL Ghostscript) 168*593dc095SDavid du Colombierare distributed with a license called the GNU 1697dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">General Public License</a> 170*593dc095SDavid du Colombier(also known as the "GNU License", the "GPL", or "copyleft"), which is similar 171*593dc095SDavid du Colombierto the AFPL in requiring source disclosure, but also 172*593dc095SDavid du Colombierallows distribution with commercial products under certain conditions. 173*593dc095SDavid du ColombierThese versions are identified as "GPL Ghostscript" or 1747dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier"GNU Ghostscript." The remainder of this section applies only to versions 175*593dc095SDavid du Colombieridentified explicitly as GPL or GNU Ghostscript versions; the generic name 1763ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierGhostscript, when applied to versions above 4.03, refers to AFPL 1777dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierGhostscript, which is governed by the Aladdin Free Public License, not the 1787dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierGPL. 1797dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1807dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 1817dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierThe full GPL is included under the name 182*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<b><tt>COPYING</tt></b> in the GPL Ghostscript fileset, and 1837dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiercan also be obtained directly from the Free Software Foundation: 1847dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1857dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<blockquote><address><a name="FSF_address"></a> 1867dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierFree Software Foundation, Inc. (FSF)<br> 1877dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier59 Temple Place, Suite 330<br> 1887dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierBoston, MA 02111-1307 U.S.A.<br> 1897dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier+1-617-542-5942 telephone<br> 1907dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier+1-617-542-2652 fax (including Japan):<br> 1917dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">gnu@gnu.org</a><br> 1927dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<a href="http://www.gnu.org/">http://www.gnu.org/</a> 1937dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</address></blockquote> 1947dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 1957dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 1967dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierThe GPL gotten directly from the FSF or the contents of the 1977dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<b><tt>COPYING</tt></b> file are authoritative, but for those 1987dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierunfamiliar with the GPL, we now summarize its provisions. 1997dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2007dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<dl compact> 201*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<dt>1.<dd>Anyone may copy and distribute GPL Ghostscript (both source 202*593dc095SDavid du Colombierand object code), but they must distribute the source code as well as 203*593dc095SDavid du Colombierthe object code (or, if they distribute only the object code, they must 2047dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierinclude an offer in writing to provide the source code at no more than 2057dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierreproduction cost), keep all copyright and other notices, and include the 2067dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierGPL with the copies. (Note that this allows anyone receiving such a copy 2077dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierto distribute it freely as well.) 2087dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 209*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<dt>2.<dd>Anyone may modify GPL Ghostscript, but the provisions of (1) 2107dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierapply to modified or derived works as well. 2117dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 212*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<dt>3.<dd>GPL Ghostscript may be "aggregated" with another program; in 2137dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierthis case, (1) and (2) do not apply to the other program, but only to GNU 2147dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierGhostscript. 2157dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</dl> 2167dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2177dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 218*593dc095SDavid du ColombierProvision (2) effectively prevents the development of proprietary commercial 219*593dc095SDavid du Colombierproducts that incorporate GPL Ghostscript without a commercial license 220*593dc095SDavid du Colombieras a part, since these are "derived works" in the legal sense. 2217dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2227dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 2237dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierQuestions have arisen at times in particular cases regarding provision (3) 224*593dc095SDavid du Colombieras to whether GPL Ghostscript is "aggregated" with other parts of a 2257dd7cddfSDavid du Colombiercommercial product, or whether the product has become a "derived work." 226*593dc095SDavid du ColombierNormally, combining GPL Ghostscript with another piece of software 227*593dc095SDavid du Colombiercreates 228*593dc095SDavid du Colombiera "derived work"; we consider GPL Ghostscript to be "aggregated" with 2297dd7cddfSDavid du Colombieranother piece of software, which we will refer to as "the application", 2307dd7cddfSDavid du Colombieronly if all of the following conditions are met: 2317dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2327dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<ul> 233*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<li> The code and documentation for GPL Ghostscript are physically 2347dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierseparated from the code and documentation for the application. For 2357dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierelectronic form, it is both necessary and sufficient to put the GNU 2367dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierGhostscript code and documentation in their own directory tree(s). 2377dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 238*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<li> GPL Ghostscript, as delivered with the application, is usable 2397dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierindependently of the application. More precisely, if a user deletes from 2407dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierthe computer system all files delivered with the application except those 241*593dc095SDavid du Colombierin the GPL Ghostscript directories, the user will still be able to use 242*593dc095SDavid du ColombierGPL Ghostscript as described in GPL Ghostscript's documentation. Among 243*593dc095SDavid du Colombierother things, this requires that GPL Ghostscript not call any routines 244*593dc095SDavid du Colombierin the application, and not require any data or other files supplied as 245*593dc095SDavid du Colombierpart of the application. 2467dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 247*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<li> The application calls GPL Ghostscript in a way that allows an 248*593dc095SDavid du Colombierordinary user to substitute another program for GPL Ghostscript. 249*593dc095SDavid du Colombier(Typically this requires use of a shell script or batch file, or a 250*593dc095SDavid du Colombiersystem call like "<b><tt>exec</tt></b>".) More precisely, if the user 251*593dc095SDavid du Colombierdeletes from the computer system all the files in the GPL Ghostscript 252*593dc095SDavid du Colombierdirectories, and replaces the GPL Ghostscript executable with another 253*593dc095SDavid du Colombierprogram with the same name and conforming to the same documentation, the 254*593dc095SDavid du Colombierapplication will continue to work with it. One implication of this is 255*593dc095SDavid du Colombierthat the GPL Ghostscript documentation must specify all properties of 256*593dc095SDavid du ColombierGPL Ghostscript on which the application relies; for example, if GPL 257*593dc095SDavid du ColombierGhostscript has been modified by the addition of command line switches 258*593dc095SDavid du Colombieror language elements such as new operators, the documentation must 259*593dc095SDavid du Colombierdescribe any such additions that the application uses. 2607dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 261*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<li> The conditions of the GNU GPL are met with respect to GPL Ghostscript, 2627dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierincluding the requirement for propagation of the GPL and the requirement 2637dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierfor delivering (or an offer to deliver) source code. 2647dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</ul> 2657dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2667dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 2677dd7cddfSDavid du ColombierRegarding this last point, the GPL clearly intends that if the distributor 268*593dc095SDavid du Colombieronly offers to provide the GPL Ghostscript source code (as opposed to 2697dd7cddfSDavid du Colombieractually distributing the source code with every copy of the application), 2707dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierthen they must deliver the source code in a timely way to anyone 2717dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierrequesting it. 2727dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2737dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 274*593dc095SDavid du ColombierThe GPL makes it clear that if someone receives GPL Ghostscript only in 2757dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierits GPL-licensed form, they only have a right to distribute it if they 2763ff48bf5SDavid du Colombiercomply with the GPL. artofcode LLC, as the copyright holder, takes 2777dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierthis requirement very seriously, and will, if necessary, take legal action 278*593dc095SDavid du Colombierto ensure that anyone distributing GPL Ghostscript with the GPL complies 2797dd7cddfSDavid du Colombierwith the conditions set forth above. 2807dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2817dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [2.0 end contents] ==================================================== --> 2827dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2837dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [3.0 begin visible trailer] =========================================== --> 2847dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<hr> 2857dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2863ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<p> 287*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<small>Copyright © 1996-2004 artofcode LLC. All rights reserved.</small> 2887dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2897dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<p> 2903ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<small>This file is part of AFPL Ghostscript. See the <a 2913ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierhref="Public.htm">Aladdin Free Public License</a> (the "License") for full 2923ff48bf5SDavid du Colombierdetails of the terms of using, copying, modifying, and redistributing AFPL 2933ff48bf5SDavid du ColombierGhostscript.</small> 2947dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2953ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier<p> 296*593dc095SDavid du Colombier<small>Ghostscript version 8.53, 20 October 2005 2973ff48bf5SDavid du Colombier 2987dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 2997dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier<!-- [3.0 end visible trailer] ============================================= --> 3007dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier 3017dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</body> 3027dd7cddfSDavid du Colombier</html> 303