VLC License

[betatester]

Hello,

I have two questions about VLC Licence :

It is possible to include VLC player activeX in a free software ?

It is possible to include VLC player activeX in a commercial software ?

Thanks for your good job

betatester

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

It is possible to include VLC player activeX in a free software?

Yes.

It is possible to include VLC player activeX in a commercial software?

To include, NO. To install it and make it "talk" with a commercial (non open source) software, yes

[tical1982]

do you mean by "talk" like VLC as a third party tool which could be remote triggered by the commercial program?

cheers

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

yes.

[toom]

hi all

I write a wrapper for libvlc. This wrapper, built as a DLL, implements a MediaPlayer Class. The interface file MediaPlayer.H doesn't include any vlc header file, just the interface of the MediaPlayer Class (include only prototypes of public methods of MediaPlayer Class). The wrapper license is GNU. The Wrapper and the Commercial software will share the same MediaPlayer Interface. The Wrapper will implement the interface by creating a MediaPlayerImpl Object derived from MediaPlayer Interface. The commercial software will control the MediaPlayer through the interface. This software doesn't include any VLC file just the interface of MediaPlayer. The wrapper will initiate the instance of the MediaPlayer each time it is required to do so. The commercial software will load the wrapper dll file at runtime and the wrapper will create a MediaPlayer instance then return back the pointer address of the MediaPlayer instance to the commercial software so the commercial software can control the MediaPlayer Object.

Is this way legal?
Thank you

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I think so, but IANAL

[toom]

I hope it is legal
Thank you j-b
I have one more question. Can I use VLC as a Media Server to broadcast my commercial video content to my clients? Thank you.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I think so yes.

Anyway, there are already vlc wrappers, so I don't see why you want to create a new one.

[toom]

Anyway, there are already vlc wrappers, so I don't see why you want to create a new one.

Is that the .Net Interface to VLC? I will try to make a C++ version and build it as a DLL file.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

No, ActiveX interface.

[TheSorcerer]

It is possible to include VLC player activeX in a free software?

Yes.

Does it mean that, if I develop a free application but NOT OPEN SOURCE, I can include VLC activeX in my application?

And even if I show banners in my application?

Thank you very much and congratulations for your great job!

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

You cannot include VLC in your application. However, you can install your application and VLC an make your application talk to it.

[TheSorcerer]

Thanks for your reply.

When you talk about free software, you mean open source software, not zero-cost software. It made me misundertand your words.

Thanks.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

English has the same work for free (beer) and free (freedom)...

[Cheetah]

From what I gather from this thread; I won't be able to distribute "libvlc.dll" with my free, open-source software? But what I can do, is use it in my application, the user just has to add the "libvlc.dll" file themselves to my application's directory manually (after they have installed my software)?

Or are they required to install VLC Player and keep the "libvlc.dll" file in the installation folder in order to use it in my application?

Correct me on any wrong information...

Thanks!

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

No, you got it wrong.
If you are open source and GPL compatible, then you can redistribute everything in vlc.

[redDev]

Hello,

I want to make an open source app that uses libvlc and can access low level functions like reporting stream buffer level.
This app will have a more powerful "rc" interface to support these commands.
Is it legal to have a commercial application that sends commands using socket to this middle open source app?



Regards

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Hello,

I want to make an open source app that uses libvlc and can access low level functions like reporting stream buffer level.
This app will have a more powerful "rc" interface to support these commands.
Is it legal to have a commercial application that sends commands using socket to this middle open source app?



Regards

Using socket, Yes, this is legal.

[redDev]

Hello j-b. Thank you for your fast reply.

Using socket, Yes, this is legal.

I don't know if you understand it right.

I mean this:

Commercial app -> socket -> Open-source app (not VLC) -> libvlc

Is this legal?

Thank you

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Technically, it is legal if the commercial app is not derived work, in terms of copyright, of libvlc neither the open-source application around it. Ultimately, only a judge can rule anything legal or illegal.

So if the protocol over the socket is an immediate serialization of libvlc API calls, then you are still screwed. It all depends how the protocol was designed.

[redDev]

Technically, it is legal if the commercial app is not derived work, in terms of copyright, of libvlc neither the open-source application around it. Ultimately, only a judge can rule anything legal or illegal.

So if the protocol over the socket is an immediate serialization of libvlc API calls, then you are still screwed. It all depends how the protocol was designed.

That's not the idea. I just have to add a new function to get buffer level in order to play a local video before buffer underflow.
So I suppose it's legal, right?

The other way to do this is to change vlc code, and possibly you'll include it in a future vlc release...

[msirok]

Hello,
I want to use the libvlc.dll library and a .NET wrapper library licensed under Ms-PL in my comercial software. I read somewhere that the libvlc is since dec 2011 licensed under LGPL which allows me to use it in my software, is that correct or am I wrong assuming this? And also the .net wrapper is using the libraries in the plugins folder, how is it with that since only the libvlc.dll is comunicating with them, can I pack everithing together and put it into the instalation folder of my software?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

libVLC is LGPL, not MS-PL.
But I think so, yes.