Don't understand pisa(xhtml2pdf) license [closed]

Closed. This question is off-topic. It is not currently accepting answers.

---

Want to improve this question? Update the question so it's on-topic for Stack Overflow.

Closed 10 years ago.

Improve this question

A client ask me to generate PDF in python, but i don't know if i have to pay the license or just use it. what do i have to do?

In their web site said:

XHTML2PDF is dual-licensed:

   1. GNU General Public License Version 2.0 (GPLv2)
   2. A commercial license

In their docs:

pisa is copyrighted by Dirk Holtwick, Germany.   
pisa is distributed by Dirk Holtwick, Schreiberstraße 2, 47开发者_如何学C058 Duisburg, Germany.   
pisa is licensed under the GNU Gerneral Public License version 2.  

---

The GPL requires that any code that includes GPL code be subject to the GPL itself. This only has implications if you are distributing that code to other people.

If you are giving your code to the client, and you opt not to purchase the commercial license to XHTML2PDF, your client has the right to take your other code and re-distribute (sell, give away, etc.) it to other people under the GPL.

If you pay for the commercial license, your client has no right to re-distribute your code without your express permission.

---

I think unless you have licensed your code under GPL you need the commercial license. (GPL requires you to provide your code if you have used a library licensed under GPL)

If you are not certain you could ask the distributers.

Usual disclaimer that this is a legal question and I am not qualified to answer.

---

It appears that xhtml2pdf has changed their license to Apache 2.0 which allows redistribution without making your code open source.

http://www.xhtml2pdf.com/

---

Seems like the usual sort of dual licensing scheme. They distribute the software under the GPL, meaning anyone can use it. However, if they make changes and redistribute it, they have to comply with the GPL and make their source code available. This effectively means you can't integrate it into non-GPL software. However, they also offer a commercial license, which would allow a company that pays them to get around the limitations of the GPL and integrate it into their own closed source product.

This is pretty much the same licensing model that MySQL and a few other projects use.