Hello there. I'm seeing with a third party library vendor, wich creates components for signal and audio processing for Delphi and BCB, the way to integrate support for OggVorbis, but there are some license issues that I don't know/understand. In plain text: can he create and distribute a component that uses the code available in the Windows SDK, either in the DLL presentation and/or the OBJ/LIB way without any restrictions? Does his code will have to be GPLed? As far as I undesrstand, there is no restrictions whatsoever with the use of the vorbis software libraries, other than there is an acknowledgement to Xiph.org for using the codec source, isn't? He is not trying to use or distribute other parts of the SDK (i.e., not vorbistools, etc). The only function of this components will be to encode or decode audio, nothing more. Thanks for any help. -- Rodrigo Gómez http://rgomez.msa.com.mx/gallery/
On Thu, Nov 11, 2004 at 06:20:07PM -0600, Rodrigo G?mez wrote:> In plain text: can he create and distribute a component that uses the code > available in the Windows SDK, either in the DLL presentation and/or the > OBJ/LIB way without any restrictions? Does his code will have to be GPLed? > As far as I undesrstand, there is no restrictions whatsoever with the use of > the vorbis software libraries, other than there is an acknowledgement to > Xiph.org for using the codec source, isn't? He is not trying to use or > distribute other parts of the SDK (i.e., not vorbistools, etc). The only > function of this components will be to encode or decode audio, nothing more.There are two pieces. The vorbistools programs (oggenc, vorbiscomment, etc.) are GPL, and so anything that uses it must be. The dlls and example code in the sdk (vorbis.dll, vorbisfile.dll, vorbisenc.dll) or any build of the same code only requires a copyright acknowedgement. Please do go ahead and use those. Hope that helps, -r
On Friday 12 November 2004 11:20, Rodrigo G?mez wrote:> Hello there. > > I'm seeing with a third party library vendor, wich creates components for > signal and audio processing for Delphi and BCB, the way to integrate > support for OggVorbis, but there are some license issues that I don't > know/understand. > > In plain text: can he create and distribute a component that uses the code > available in the Windows SDK, either in the DLL presentation and/or the > OBJ/LIB way without any restrictions? Does his code will have to be GPLed? > As far as I undesrstand, there is no restrictions whatsoever with the use > of the vorbis software libraries, other than there is an acknowledgement to > Xiph.org for using the codec source, isn't? He is not trying to use or > distribute other parts of the SDK (i.e., not vorbistools, etc). The only > function of this components will be to encode or decode audio, nothing > more. > > Thanks for any help.The code certainly doesn't have to be GPLed - the vorbis codec software is not itself under either the GPL or any related license. It's under a BSD-style lience (see the COPYING file for the full license agreement). So, there ARE restrictions on using and distributing the software - the COPYING file gives these. But they're not terribly difficult to follow. Basically, you have to distribute the license agreement (the COPYING file - though it can, of course, be renamed) with the software, and you are not permitted to use the name of the Xiph.org Foundation to "endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission". There's no restriction whatsoever on the license of software that uses libvorbis. Mike