Re: Is there a free license which prohibits commercial derived works?

[Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net>]

Scripsit Peter S Galbraith

> Okay, let me rephrase.  Commercial use of the software is allowed
> by scilab, but they want to limit the ability of making derived
> commercial works.

> http://www.debian.org/intro/free says:

> :  - Not allowing use of their code in commercial software.

I think you misunderstand the distinction between "commercial
software" and "commercial use". The thing spoken about on the
web page is software which you have to buy and pay for before
you can use it. That is completely different from the commercial
use in DFSG which is the use of the software by a business.


> :    Since
> :    they are releasing the code for others to use without any
> :    profit to themselves, they don't want someone else to be
> :    able to come along and make commercial software out of it.

> Is there a license which meets this goal?

Yes. It is the main point about the GPL to do this.

The GPL also allows businesses to use the software to do their
business (say, using a GPL'ed text editor to write business
letters). That does not make the software itself commercial.

-- 
Henning Makholm                   "Jeg mener, at der eksisterer et hemmeligt
                                 selskab med forgreninger i hele verden, som
                         arbejder i det skjulte for at udsprede det rygte at
                      der eksisterer en verdensomspændende sammensværgelse."