Changes between Version 10 and Version 11 of Licensing_FAQ

Timestamp:

Jan 21, 2013 6:49:41 PM (11 years ago)

Author:

Klaus Espenlaub

Comment:

big OSE licensing confusion fix, now reflects the current state of base and extpack, added link to Oracle VBox page

Licensing_FAQ

@@ -1 +1 @@
 = Licensing: Frequently Asked Questions =
 
-This page deals with questions you may have about !VirtualBox and its licensing. You may want to look at the [wiki:"User_FAQ" User FAQ] and [wiki:"Developer_FAQ" Developer FAQ] for additional topics.
+This page deals with questions you may have about !VirtualBox and its licensing. You may want to look at the [wiki:"User_FAQ" User FAQ] and [wiki:"Developer_FAQ" Developer FAQ] for additional topics. This information is accurate for !VirtualBox 4.0 and later, when the packaging was redesigned in order to simplify the licensing.
 
  1. '''What license is !VirtualBox released under?'''
 
- The Open Source Edition (OSE) is released under the [wiki:"GPL" GNU General Public License V2]. Essentially, this means that you get the full source code of !VirtualBox OSE, and you can distribute and modify it, provided that you ship all modifications under the GPL as well.
+ The base packages (everything but the extension pack) is released under the [wiki:"GPL" GNU General Public License V2]. Essentially, this means that you get the full source code of !VirtualBox, and you can distribute and modify it, provided that you ship all modifications under the GPL as well.
 
- If you want the extra features that are missing from !VirtualBox OSE, you can alternatively use the full !VirtualBox package free of charge for personal use or evaluation purposes. Both versions -- !VirtualBox OSE and !VirtualBox -- are available from the [wiki:"Downloads"] page.
+ If you want the extra features in the extension pack you can use them free of charge for personal use or evaluation purposes. Both packages -- !VirtualBox base package and !VirtualBox extension pack -- are available from the [wiki:"Downloads"] page.
 
  2. '''Can I buy a commercial license for !VirtualBox?'''
 
- If you are an individual end user, there is generally no need to purchase a commercial license, provided that you respect, in the case of !VirtualBox OSE, the terms and conditions of the [wiki:"GPL"], or, in the case of the full !VirtualBox package, those of the [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License].
+ If you are an individual end user, there is generally no need to purchase a commercial license, provided that you respect, in the case of the !VirtualBox base package, the terms and conditions of the [wiki:"GPL"], or, in the case of the !VirtualBox extension pack, those of the [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License].
 
- As an enterprise customer, we encourage you to purchase commercial licenses from Oracle and receive benefits such as access to enterprise features and support for mission-critical use of !VirtualBox. We also encourage ISVs and IHVs to incorporate !VirtualBox into their offerings, preferably through a custom license deal with Oracle. Please [mailto:VBOX_OEM_SALES_WW@oracle.com contact Oracle] for additional information.
+ As an enterprise customer, we encourage you to purchase commercial licenses from Oracle and receive benefits such as access to enterprise features and support for mission-critical use of !VirtualBox. More information is available on the [http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/virtualization/virtualbox/overview/index.html Oracle VirtualBox VM] pages, which also contain a link to the Oracle store where you can directly buy licenses. We also encourage ISVs and IHVs to incorporate !VirtualBox into their offerings, preferably through a custom license deal with Oracle. Please [mailto:VBOX_OEM_SALES_WW@oracle.com contact Oracle] for additional information.
 
  3. '''How can !VirtualBox be both open source and commercially licensed?'''
@@ -23 +23 @@
  We -- like other companies -- believe that dual licensing gives both developers and users the best of two worlds. While anyone is free to look at the code and even improve it, commercial licenses support the company and allow for professional maintenance and support. The open-source community gets more high-quality free software at no cost, while businesses can rely on quality support from our first-hand developers. Both worlds profit from each other: The commercial licenses support both our business, and the open-source community, and vice versa.
 
- 5. '''Will the licensing terms of !VirtualBox OSE be changed in the future?'''
+ 5. '''Will the licensing terms of !VirtualBox be changed in the future?'''
 
  We are not currently planning to do so, but it doesn't really matter. Any code that was once released under the GPL cannot be "closed" again. The license that Oracle has granted you with the GPL is perpetual and cannot be taken back. Even if Oracle were to change the license again, this could only affect future versions, and anybody would still be permitted to redistribute the existing !VirtualBox code under the terms of the GPL.
@@ -33 +33 @@
  Use at academic institutions such as schools, colleges and universities by both teachers and students is covered. So in addition to the personal use which is always permitted, academic institutions may also choose to roll out the software in an automated way to make it available to its students and personnel.
 
- 7. '''Can I redistribute the !VirtualBox binaries?'''
+ 7. '''Can I redistribute the !VirtualBox base package binaries?'''
 
- No. The [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License] allows you to download the !VirtualBox binaries for personal and academic use and for evaluation, but it does not give you the right to redistribute these binaries. So you may not put them onto your own websites or other mirrors. We do this because we would presently like to keep track of how many people are downloading these binaries. 
+ Yes. The GPL allows you to download the !VirtualBox binaries, including the right to redistribute these binaries as long as you adhere to the other terms and conditions of the GPL. 
 
- The no-distribution restriction does not apply to the Open Source Edition (OSE), as the GPL does, of course, permit redistribution of source and binaries, provided that you adhere to the other terms and conditions of the GPL. 
+ 7. '''Can I redistribute the !VirtualBox extension pack?'''
 
- Note that starting with !VirtualBox 4.0 the base package is released under terms and conditions of the [wiki:"GPL"], and the separately downloadable extension pack which contains a few closed source features is released under the [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License].
+ No. The [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License] allows you to download the !VirtualBox extension pack binaries for personal and academic use and for evaluation, but it does not give you the right to redistribute these binaries. So you may not put them onto your own websites or other mirrors. We do this because we would presently like to keep track of how many people are downloading these binaries. 
 
- 8. '''Which guidelines apply to the use of the name ''!VirtualBox''?'''
+ 9. '''Which guidelines apply to the use of the name ''!VirtualBox''?'''
 
  The term ''!VirtualBox'' has been registered by Oracle as a trademark in various countries. It may be freely used together with the products available from this web site. However, if you choose to ship custom binaries and/or source code revisions of the product, Oracle reserves the right to deny use of the trademark ''!VirtualBox''. This might seem rather strict but we believe that it is important to avoid any kind of confusion arising from multiple versions of the same product coming from different sources.