License question

[johanv]

Hi,

I've got a question concerning the CiviCRM license. I read the AGPL faq (https://civicrm.org/agpl-license-faqs), but to be sure, I post the question in here.

Suppose that I deploy a CiviCRM instance on top of a Drupal site. The Drupal site contains some custom modules I've created, that interact with CiviCRM through the API. Then I have to make sure that my users can download the CiviCRM code. But I don't have to provide the code of the Drupal module, right?

Thank you,
johanv

[Donald Lobo]

Seems like you might want to consult a lawyer about this since it involves two different licenses AGPL v3+ and GPL v2+

based on my limited understanding, your custom modules also need to be GPL, but IANAL

lobo

[johanv]

GPL only applies when you distribute the software, not when you host it. If I host a Drupal site, I can add modules to it, without having to provide the source code. Only if I give those modules to someone else, I should do this under the terms of the GPL. This can be found in the Drupal Licensing FAQ: https://www.drupal.org/licensing/faq#q7

But I am unsure about the AGPL part.

[Donald Lobo]

if this is important or crucial to your business, i would talk to a lawyer

lobo

[johanv]

I work for a non-profit organization. I think they don't really care about the details of the software license. But as I am a big fan of FLOSS, I want to do this right for myself. Sadly enough I don't know a lawyer, and I am not going to pay one to get an answer to this question :-)

Does anybody know who chose the AGPL as CiviCRM's license? Maybe I can contact them to ask about there motives for choosing the AGPL.

I think it is important to develop a CiviCRM-solution that is compliant to CiviCRM's license terms. I want to know what the practical consequences of the license are, and I want to communicate those consequences to the other developers that will work on this project.

I guess I am not the only one with this question. I wonder what organizations that already have a CiviCRM instance do to be in compliance.