To administrator and devolopers
Posted: 13 Jan 2007 17:02
Dear
Can I use "vlc activex" with my commercial software?
Can I use "vlc activex" with my commercial software?
Derivative works of the VLC media player fall under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).
On top of that, composite works including the VLC media player need compatible software licenses from the other components.
Aggregated works are a lesser problem. In particular, the disclaimer of warranty and the license grant of the whole package cannot contradict the terms of the GPL. But the GPL will not apply to other parts aggregated with VLC.
In any case, you can sell software based on VLC. The main catch is that anyone to whom you distribute VLC will be allowed to copy, redistribute, modify, etc all parts that are GPL'd. Also, the user will have to agree to the terms of the GPL, and the relevant copyrights must be clearly and properly represented.
I think there is no universally agreed statement as to whether using ActiveX makes a derivative work or mere aggregation. I would think it is not, but some people might disagree (but, hey, it allows using VLC with MSIE in the first place).
This message cannot be construed as legal advice. This is best seen with a lawyer.