sui ts y our p rog ram .
You sh oul d also g et y our em plo yer ( if y ou w ork a s a pro gr amme r) or
yo ur sc hoo l, if a ny, to si gn a “co py rig ht di scla imer ” f or th e pro gr am, i f
ne ces sar y. He re is a s ampl e; al ter t he nam es:
Yoy od yn e, Inc ., he re by dis cla ims all c opy r igh t int ere st in t he pr og ram
`Gn omo vi sion’ ( whi ch mak es pa sse s at co mpil ers) w ri t ten b y Jam es Ha cker.
sig nat ure o f Ty Coo n, 1 Ap ril 1 98 9
Ty Coo n, Pr es iden t of V ice
Th is Gen er al Pub lic L ice nse d oes n ot pe rmi t inc orp or ati ng yo ur pr ogr am
int o pr opr iet ar y pr og ram s. If y our p rog ra m is a subr ou tin e libr ar y, yo u may
con side r it mo re us ef ul to p erm it lin kin g pro pri et ar y app lica tio ns wi th t he
libr ar y. If t his is w ha t you w an t to do, u se th e GNU L ibr ar y Ge ner al P ubli c
Li cens e ins tea d of t his Li cens e.
GN U Les ser G ener al P ubli c Lic ens e (L GPL )
Ver sio n 2.1, F ebr uar y 19 99
Co py rig ht (C ) 19 9 1, 19 99 F re e Sof t wa re F ound ati on, In c. 5 1 Fr ank lin Str ee t,
Fi f th Fl oor, B os ton , MA 0 21 10 -13 0 1 USA E ve ry on e is per mi tt ed to c opy
and d ist rib ut e ver bat im co pie s of th is lic ense d ocu men t, bu t cha ngin g
it is n ot al low ed.
[T his is t he fir st r ele ase d ver si on of t he Le sse r GP L. I t also c oun ts as t he
suc ces sor o f th e GNU L ibr ar y Pub lic L ice nse, v er sio n 2, he nce t he ve rsi on
number 2.1. ]
Pream ble
Th e lic ense s for m os t sof t w are a re de sign ed to t ake a wa y yo ur fr eed om
to sh are a nd ch ange i t. B y co ntr as t, t he GN U Gen era l Pub lic L icen ses a re
int end ed to g uar ant ee y our f re edo m to sha re an d chan ge fr ee s of t war e- -
to ma ke sur e th e sof t w are is f re e fo r all it s use rs .
Th is lic ens e, th e Les ser G ener al P ubli c Lic ens e, app lies t o so me spe cia lly
des ign ate d sof t wa re p ack age s--t y pic all y libr ar ies -- of th e Fr ee So f tw ar e
Fo unda ti on and o the r aut hor s w ho de cide t o use i t. Yo u can us e it t oo,
bu t we su gge st y ou fir st t hink c are fu lly ab ou t whe th er thi s lice nse o r
th e ord inar y G ener al P ubli c Lic ens e is the b et te r st ra teg y to u se in an y
particular ca se, based on the expla nations below.
Wh en w e spea k of fr ee s of t war e, w e ar e ref er rin g to fr ee dom o f use , not
pr ice . Our G ener al P ubli c Lic ens es ar e desi gne d to ma ke sur e tha t yo u
ha ve th e fr eed om to d ist rib ute c opi es of f re e sof t wa re (an d char ge f or
thi s ser v ice i f yo u wish ); th at y ou re cei ve s our ce co de or c an ge t it i f you
wa nt it ; th at yo u can c hang e th e sof t wa re an d use pi ec es of i t in ne w fr ee
pr ogr ams ; and t hat y ou ar e inf or med t hat y ou c an do th es e thin gs.
To pro tec t yo ur ri ght s, w e ne ed to ma ke re st ri ct ions t ha t for bid
dis tr ibu tor s to de ny y ou th ese r ig hts o r to as k you t o sur re nder t hes e
ri ght s. T hes e re st ri ct ions t ra nsla te to c er tai n res pon sibil iti es fo r yo u if yo u
dis tr ibu te co pies o f th e libr ar y or i f you m odi f y it.
Fo r ex ampl e, if y ou di str ibu te c opie s of t he libr ar y, wh et her g ra tis or f or
a fe e, yo u mus t gi ve t he re cip ien ts al l the r igh ts t hat w e ga ve y ou. Yo u
mus t mak e sur e tha t the y, too , re cei ve or c an ge t th e sour ce c ode . If y ou
link o th er cod e wi th th e libr ar y, yo u mus t pro vi de co mple te o bje ct fil es to
th e re cipi ent s, s o tha t the y can r elin k the m wi th th e libr ar y af t er mak ing
cha nge s to th e libr ar y and r ec omp iling i t. A nd yo u mus t sho w th em th ese
ter ms s o the y kn ow th eir r igh ts .
We pr ot ec t yo ur ri ght s wi th a t wo -s tep m et hod: ( 1) w e cop yr igh t th e
libr ar y, an d (2) w e o er y ou th is lic ense , whi ch gi ve s you l ega l per mis sion
to c opy, dis tr ibu te an d/or mo dif y t he lib rar y.
To pro tec t ea ch dis tr ibu tor, w e wan t to ma ke it v er y cle ar th at th er e is no
wa rr ant y f or th e fr ee lib rar y. A lso , if th e libr ar y is mo di fied b y som eon e
els e and p asse d on, t he r eci pien ts s houl d kno w tha t wh at th ey ha ve i s not
th e ori gina l ver sio n, so t hat t he or ig inal au th or ’s rep uta tio n wil l not b e
a ec te d by pr ob lems t hat m igh t be in tr oduc ed b y oth er s.
Fi nall y, sof t wa re pa ten ts p ose a c ons tan t th rea t to t he ex is ten ce of an y
fr ee p rog ra m. We w ish to m ake su re th at a co mpan y ca nnot e ec ti vel y
re st ri ct t he use rs o f a fr ee pr og ram b y ob tain ing a r est ri ct iv e lic ense f ro m
a pa ten t hol der. Th er efo re, w e ins ist t hat a ny pa ten t lic ense o bt aine d for
a ve rsi on of t he lib rar y m ust b e con sis ten t wit h th e full f re ed om of us e
spe ci fied i n this l icen se.
Mo st GN U so ft w are , incl udin g som e libr ari es, i s cov er ed by t he or din ar y
GN U Gen era l Publ ic Li cen se. T his li cens e, t he GN U Les ser G ener al P ubli c
Li cens e, ap plie s to ce rt ain d esig nat ed lib rar ie s, and i s quit e di er en t fr om
th e ord inar y G ener al P ubli c Lic ens e. We us e this l ice nse f or cer t ain lib rar ie s
in or der t o per mi t link ing th ose l ibr ari es in to no n-fr ee p ro gra ms.
Wh en a pr og ram is l inke d wi th a lib rar y, w het her s ta tic all y or usi ng a
sha red l ibr ar y, the c ombi nat ion o f the t w o is leg all y spe akin g a comb ine d
wo rk , a der iv at iv e of th e or igina l libr ar y. Th e or dinar y G ene ral P ubl ic
Li cens e th ere for e pe rmi ts s uch li nkin g onl y if th e ent ir e comb inat ion fi ts
it s cr ite ria o f fr ee dom. T he L ess er Ge ner al Pu blic L ic ense p er mit s mor e la x
cr ite ria f or li nkin g oth er co de wi th t he lib rar y.
We ca ll thi s lice nse t he “L ess er ” Gen er al Pub lic L ice nse b eca use i t doe s
Le ss to p rot ec t th e use r’s f ree dom t han t he or dina r y Gen era l Pub lic
Li cens e. I t also p ro vid es ot her f re e so ft w are d ev elop er s Les s of an
ad van ta ge ov er co mpe tin g non -fr ee pr og ram s. Th es e disa dv ant age s are
th e rea son w e use t he or din ar y Gen era l Pub lic L icen se f or man y libr ar ies .
Ho we ver, th e Le sse r lice nse pr ov id es ad van ta ges in c er ta in spe cial
circumstances.
Fo r ex ampl e, on r ar e occ asio ns, t her e may b e a sp ecia l nee d to en cou rag e
th e wid es t poss ible u se of a c er ta in libr ar y, so t hat i t be come s a de -fa ct o
st and ard . T o a chi ev e this , non -fr ee pr og ram s mus t be all ow ed to u se
th e libr ar y. A mor e fr equ ent c ase i s tha t a fr ee lib rar y d oes t he s ame
job a s wid el y used n on- fr ee lib rar ies . In th is cas e, th er e is lit tl e to ga in
by l imit ing t he fr ee li bra r y to fr ee s of t war e onl y, so w e use t he Le sse r
Ge ner al Pu blic L ice nse .
In ot her c ase s, p erm issio n to us e a par t icul ar libr ar y in n on-f re e pr ogr ams
ena ble s a gre ate r numb er of p eop le to u se a lar ge b od y of fr ee s of t war e.
Fo r ex ampl e, pe rmi ssio n to us e the G NU C Li bra r y in non -fr ee pr og ram s
ena ble s many m or e peo ple t o use t he wh ole G NU op era tin g sy st em, a s well
as i ts v ari ant , th e GNU/ Linu x op era tin g sy st em.
Al th ough t he L ess er Ge ner al Pu blic L ice nse is L es s pro te ct iv e of th e user s’
fr ee dom , it do es ens ure t hat t he us er of a p ro gra m tha t is link ed w ith t he
Lib ra ry h as th e fr eed om an d the w her ew it hal to r un t hat p rog ram u sing a
mo difi ed ve rs ion of t he L ibr ar y.
Th e pr ecis e te rms an d con dit ions f or co py ing , dis tri but ion a nd mo difi ca tion
fo llo w. Pay c los e at te nti on to t he di e ren ce be t wee n a “w or k bas ed on
th e libr ar y ” and a “ wor k th at us es th e libr ar y ”. The f or mer co nt ains co de
der iv ed f ro m the li bra r y, wher eas t he la t ter mu st b e comb ined w it h th e
libr ar y in o rde r to r un.
T ER MS A ND CO NDI T ION S FO R COP Y ING , DI ST RI BU T ION A ND
MODIFICATION
0. T his L icen se Ag re eme nt app lie s to an y sof t wa re li bra ry o r ot her
pr ogr am w hich c ont ain s a not ice p lace d by t he co py rig ht ho lde r or ot her
au tho riz ed pa rt y s ay ing it m ay b e dist ri but ed und er th e ter ms o f this
Le sse r Gene ral P ubl ic Li cens e (also c alle d “t his L icen se”) . Eac h lice nse e is
add res sed a s “y ou”.
A “li bra r y” m eans a c olle ct ion o f so ft w are f unc t ions a nd/or da ta pr ep are d
so a s to be c onv eni ent ly lin ked w it h appl ica tio n pro gr ams (w hic h use s ome
of t hos e fun ct ion s and da ta) t o for m e xec uta ble s.
Th e “L ibr ar y”, be low, r ef er s to an y suc h sof t wa re lib rar y o r wor k wh ich
has b een d ist rib ut ed und er th ese t erm s. A “ wor k bas ed o n the L ibr ar y ”
mea ns ei the r the L ibr ar y or an y der iv at iv e wo rk un der co py rig ht la w: t hat
is to s ay, a wo rk c ont aini ng th e Libr ar y or a p or ti on of i t, ei th er ve rba tim
or w ith m odi fic ati ons an d/or tr ans lat ed s tra igh tf or wa rdl y in to ano th er
lan guag e. (H er eina ft er, tr ansl ati on is in clud ed w ith ou t limit at ion in t he
term “mod i fication ”.)
“S our ce co de” fo r a wor k me ans th e pr efe rr ed fo rm o f the w or k for
mak ing m odi fica ti ons to i t. F or a lib rar y, co mpl ete s our ce co de me ans al l
th e sou rce c ode f or all m odu les i t con tain s, plu s any a sso cia ted i nte rf ac e
de fini tio n file s, plu s the s cr ipt s use d to co ntr ol co mpil ati on an d inst all ati on
of t he lib rar y.
Ac ti vi ti es ot her t han co py ing , dis tr ibut ion a nd mo difi ca tion a re n ot
co ver ed b y this L ic ense ; the y ar e out sid e it s sco pe. T he a ct o f run ning
a pr ogr am us ing th e Lib rar y is n ot r es tr ic ted, a nd ou tpu t fr om su ch a
pr ogr am is c ove re d onl y if it s con te nt s cons ti tu te a wo rk b ased o n th e
Lib ra ry ( ind epen den t of t he use o f th e Libr ar y in a t ool f or w ri ting i t).
Wh et her t hat is t ru e dep ends o n wha t th e Libr ar y do es an d wha t th e
pr ogr am t hat us es th e Lib rar y d oes .
1. You m ay co py an d dis tr ibu te ve rb ati m copi es of t he L ibr ar y ’s compl et e
so urc e cod e as yo u re cei ve i t, in an y me dium, p ro vid ed t hat y ou
con spi cuou sly a nd app ro pri ate ly pu blish o n eac h cop y an app ro pri ate
cop y rig ht no ti ce and d iscl aime r of w arr an ty ; ke ep int ac t all t he no ti ces t hat
re fer t o thi s Lic ens e and to t he ab sen ce of a ny w arr an ty ; and d ist rib ut e a
cop y of t his L icen se al ong w ith t he L ibr ar y.
You ma y cha rg e a fee f or t he ph ysi cal a ct o f tr ans fer ri ng a cop y, and y ou
ma y at yo ur op tio n o er wa rr ant y p rot ec ti on in e xch ange f or a fe e.
2. Yo u may m odi fy y our c op y or cop ies o f the L ibr ar y or a ny po r tio n of it ,
th us for min g a wor k bas ed on t he L ibr ar y, and co py an d dis tr ibut e suc h
mo difi cat ion s or wo rk un der t he te rms o f Se ct ion 1 ab ov e, pr ov ide d tha t
yo u also m ee t all of t he se con dit ion s:
a) T he mo difi ed w ork m ust i ts elf b e a so ft w are l ibra r y.
b) You mu st c ause t he fil es mo difi ed t o car r y pro mine nt n oti ces s ta tin g
th at yo u cha nged t he fil es an d the d ate o f any c hang e.
c) Yo u mus t caus e the w ho le of t he wo rk t o be li cens ed a t no cha rg e to all
thi rd pa r tie s unde r the t er ms of t his Li cens e.
d) I f a fa cili ty i n the m odi fied L ibr ar y r efe rs t o a fun ct ion o r a tab le of
dat a to b e supp lied b y an ap plic at ion pr og ram t ha t uses t he f aci lit y, ot her
th an as an ar gu men t pass ed w hen t he fa cili t y is inv oke d, th en y ou mus t
mak e a goo d fai th e o rt t o ens ure t hat , in th e ev ent a n appl ica tio n doe s
no t supp ly su ch f unc tio n or ta ble , the f aci lit y s till o per at es, an d per f orm s
wh ate ve r par t of i ts p urp ose r ema ins me anin gf ul.
(F or e xam ple, a f unc ti on in a li bra r y to com put e squ are r oo ts ha s a pur pos e
th at is en tir el y wel l-d efin ed in depe nde nt of t he ap plic at ion. T he re for e,
Sub se ct ion 2 d re quir es t hat an y app lic at ion -sup pli ed fu nc tio n or t able u sed
by t his f unc ti on mus t be o pti onal : if th e app lica tio n doe s no t supp ly it , th e
squ are r oo t fun ct ion m ust s ti ll com put e squa re r oo ts. )
Th es e req uire men ts ap pl y to th e mod ifie d wo rk as a w hol e. If i den ti fiabl e
se ct ion s of th at wo rk ar e no t der iv ed f rom t he L ibr ar y, and ca n be
re aso nabl y con side re d inde pend ent a nd se par at e wor ks i n them sel ve s,
th en thi s Lic ens e, and i ts t erm s, do n ot ap ply t o tho se s ec tio ns wh en yo u
dis tr ibu te th em as s epar at e wor k s. Bu t wh en yo u dis tri but e the s ame
se ct ion s as par t o f a who le wh ich i s a wor k bas ed on t he L ibr ar y, the
dis tr ibu tio n of th e wh ole mu st b e on th e ter ms of t his L icen se, w hos e
per mis sion s for o th er lic ense es e x tend t o th e ent ire w hol e, an d thus t o
ea ch and e ve ry p ar t re gar dle ss of w ho w ro te it .
Th us, i t is no t the in te nt of t his s ec tio n to cla im ri ght s or co nt est y our
ri ght s to w or k wr it ten e nti rel y by y ou; r at her, th e int ent i s to ex er cise t he
ri ght t o con tr ol th e dis tr ibut ion o f der iv at iv e or co lle ct iv e wor ks b ase d
on t he Li bra ry.
In ad dit ion , mer e agg reg at ion o f ano the r wor k no t bas ed on t he Li bra r y
wi th t he Li bra r y (or wi th a w ork b ase d on th e Lib rar y ) on a vo lume o f a
st or age or d ist rib ut ion m edium d oes n ot b ring t he o the r wor k und er th e
sc ope o f this L ic ense .
3. You m ay op t to a ppl y the t er ms of t he or dina r y GNU G ener al P ubli c
Li cens e ins tea d of t his Li cens e to a g iv en cop y of t he Li bra r y. T o d o this ,
yo u mus t alt er all t he no ti ces t hat r ef er to t his Li cen se, s o tha t the y re fe r
to t he or dina r y GNU G ener al P ubli c Lic ens e, ve rsi on 2, i nst ead o f to th is
Li cens e. (I f a ne wer v er sio n than v er sion 2 o f th e ord inar y G NU Ge ner al
Pu blic L ice nse h as app ear ed, t hen y ou ca n spe cif y t hat v er sion i nst ead i f
yo u wis h.) D o not m ake an y ot her ch ang e in the se no ti ces .
On ce thi s chan ge is ma de in a g iv en cop y, it is ir r eve rs ible f or th at co py, so
th e ord inar y G NU Ge ner al Pu blic L ice nse a ppli es to al l subs equ ent c opie s
and d eri v ati ve w or ks ma de fr om t hat c opy.
Th is op tio n is use ful w hen y ou w ish t o cop y par t of t he co de of t he L ibr ar y
int o a pr ogr am th at is n ot a lib rar y.
4. Yo u may c opy a nd dis tr ibu te th e Lib rar y (o r a por t ion o r der iv ati ve o f
it , und er Se ct ion 2 ) in obj ec t cod e or e xec uta ble f or m unde r the t erm s of
Se ct ion s 1 and 2 ab ov e pro vi ded t hat y ou a ccom pan y it w ith t he co mpl ete
cor re spo ndin g mac hine -r eada ble s our ce co de, w hic h mus t be dis tr ibu ted
und er th e ter ms of S ec ti ons 1 an d 2 abo ve on a m edi um cus tom ari ly us ed
for sof twar e interchange.
If di st rib uti on of o bje ct c ode is m ade b y o er ing ac ces s to co py f rom a
des ign ate d pla ce, th en o er ing e qui val ent a cce ss to c opy t he s our ce co de
fr om t he sam e pla ce sa tis fie s the r eq uire men t to dis tr ibu te t he so urc e
co de, e ven t hou gh thi rd pa r tie s are n ot co mpe lled t o cop y the s our ce a long
wi th t he obj ec t cod e.
5. A pr og ram t ha t con tain s no der iv at iv e of an y po rt ion o f th e Libr ar y, bu t
is de sign ed to w or k wi th th e Lib rar y b y be ing co mpile d or lin ked w it h it,
is ca lled a “ wo rk t hat us es t he Li bra r y”. Su ch a wo rk , in iso lat ion , is no t
a der iv at iv e wo rk of t he L ibr ar y, and t her efo re f alls o ut side t he s cope
of t his Li cen se.
Ho we ver, lin kin g a “w ork t hat u ses t he Li bra r y” w it h the L ibr ar y cr eat es an
ex ecu ta ble t hat is a d eri v ati ve o f the L ibr ar y (b ec ause i t con ta ins po rt ion s
of t he Li bra r y), r ath er th an a “w or k tha t use s the l ibra r y”. T he ex ec uta ble
is th er efo re co ve red b y th is Li cens e. Se ct ion 6 s ta te s ter ms fo r dis tri but ion
of s uch e xec ut able s.
Wh en a “ wor k th at us es th e Libr ar y ” use s mat er ial f rom a h ead er file t hat
is pa rt o f th e Libr ar y, th e obj ec t cod e for t he w ork m ay be a d er iv ati ve
wo rk o f the L ibr ar y ev en th oug h the s our ce co de is n ot. W he th er thi s is
tr ue is e spe cial ly si gni fica nt i f the w or k can be l inke d wi tho ut th e Lib rar y,
or i f the w or k is it sel f a libr ar y. Th e thr esh old f or th is to b e tr ue is no t
pr eci sel y de fine d by la w.
If s uch an o bje ct fi le us es onl y num eri cal p ara me ter s, da ta s tr uc tur e
lay ou ts an d ac cess or s, an d small m acr os an d smal l inlin e fun ct ion s (ten
lin es or le ss in l eng th), t hen t he us e of th e obj ec t file i s unre st ri ct ed,
re gar dle ss of w he the r it is le gal ly a de ri va ti ve wo rk . (E xe cut abl es
con ta ining t his ob jec t co de plu s por t ions o f th e Libr ar y w ill st ill f all
und er Se ct ion 6 .)
Ot her w ise , if th e wo rk is a d eri va ti ve o f the L ibr ar y, you m ay di str ibu te t he
obj ec t cod e for t he w ork u nder t he t erm s of Se ct ion 6 . An y ex ecu ta bles
con ta ining t hat w or k also f all u nder S ec ti on 6, w he ther o r no t the y are
link ed dir ec tl y wi th t he Li bra r y its elf.
6. A s an e xce pti on to t he S ec tio ns abo ve , you m ay al so co mbin e or
link a “ wo rk t hat us es t he Li bra r y” w it h the L ibr ar y to p rod uce a w or k
con ta ining p or ti ons of t he L ibr ar y, and di str ibu te t hat w or k unde r ter ms
of y our c hoi ce, pr ov ide d tha t th e ter ms pe rmi t mod ifi cat ion o f the w or k
fo r the c ust ome r’s o wn us e and r ev ers e eng ine eri ng fo r debu ggin g suc h
modifications.
You mu st g iv e pro mine nt no ti ce wi th ea ch co py o f the w or k tha t the
Lib ra ry i s use d in it an d tha t the L ibr ar y an d it s use ar e co ver ed b y this
Li cens e. You m ust s uppl y a co py of this L ice nse . If th e wo rk dur ing
ex ecu ti on dis play s co py rig ht no ti ces , you m ust in clu de th e cop yr igh t no tic e
fo r the L ibr ar y amo ng th em, a s well a s a re fer enc e dir ec tin g the us er to t he
cop y of t his L icen se. A lso , yo u mus t do one o f th ese t hing s:
a) A cco mpan y th e wor k wi th th e com ple te co rr esp ondi ng mac hine -
re adab le so urc e cod e for t he L ibr ar y inc ludin g wha te ver c hang es w ere u sed
in th e wo rk (w hic h mus t be dis tr ibu ted u nder S ec ti ons 1 an d 2 abo ve) ; and ,
if t he wo rk is a n ex ecu tab le lin ked w ith t he L ibr ar y, wit h th e comp let e
ma chin e-r ead abl e “w ork t hat u ses t he Li bra r y”, as o bje ct co de an d/
or s our ce co de, s o tha t the u ser c an mod if y th e Lib rar y a nd th en re link
to pr od uce a m odi fied e xe cut abl e con tai ning t he mo difi ed Li bra r y. (It is
und ers to od t hat t he use r wh o chan ges t he co nte nt s of de fini tio ns file s in
th e Lib rar y w ill no t ne cess ar ily b e able t o re com pile t he ap plic ati on to u se
th e modi fie d de finit ion s.)
b) Us e a suit abl e shar ed li bra r y mec hani sm for l inki ng wi th t he Li bra r y. A
sui tab le me cha nism is o ne th at ( 1) us es at r un ti me a cop y of t he lib rar y
alr ead y pr ese nt on t he us er ’s comp ute r sy st em, r at her t han co py ing
libr ar y f unc ti ons in to th e ex ecu ta ble, a nd (2 ) wil l oper at e pr oper ly w it h
a mo difi ed ve rs ion of t he li bra r y, if the u ser in st alls o ne, as l ong as t he
mo difi ed ve rs ion is in ter f ac e- comp ati ble w it h the v er sion t hat t he w ork
wa s made w it h.
c) A cco mpan y th e wor k wi th a w ri tt en o er, v alid f or at l eas t thr ee y ear s,
to g iv e the s ame us er th e mat er ials sp ec ifi ed in Su bse ct ion 6 a, ab ov e, fo r a
cha rg e no mor e th an th e cos t of p er for ming t his di st rib uti on.
d) I f dis tr ibut ion o f th e wor k is ma de by o e rin g acc ess t o cop y fr om a
des ign ate d pla ce, o er e qui val ent a cce ss to c opy t he ab ov e spe ci fied
ma ter ials f ro m the s ame p lace .
e) Ver if y t hat t he us er has a lre ady r ec eiv ed a c opy o f the se ma ter ial s or
th at yo u hav e alr ead y se nt th is use r a cop y.
Fo r an ex ec uta ble, t he r equi re d for m of t he “w or k tha t use s the L ibr ar y ”
mus t inc lude a ny da ta an d ut ilit y pr og ram s nee ded f or r epr oduc ing t he
ex ecu ta ble f rom i t. H ow ev er, as a spe cia l ex cep tio n, th e mat eri als to b e
dis tr ibu ted n eed n ot in clu de an yt hing t ha t is nor mal ly dis tr ibu te d (in ei th er
so urc e or bin ar y for m) w ith t he ma jor c ompo nen ts (co mpil er, ker nel, a nd
so o n) of t he op era tin g sy st em on w hich t he e xec ut abl e runs , unl ess th at
com pon ent i ts elf a cco mpan ies t he e xec uta ble .
It m ay ha ppen t hat t his r equ irem en t con tra dic ts t he li cens e re st ric t ions o f
ot her p rop rie ta ry l ibr ari es th at do n ot no rma lly a cco mpan y th e ope ra ting
s ys tem. S uch a c ont ra dic ti on mea ns yo u can not us e bo th th em an d the
Lib ra ry t og eth er in an e xe cut abl e tha t yo u dist ri but e.
7 . You ma y pla ce lib rar y f ac ilit ies t hat a re a w ork b ase d on t he Lib ra ry
sid e-b y- sid e in a sin gle lib ra ry t og eth er wi th o the r libr ar y fa cili ti es no t
co ver ed b y this L ic ense , and di st rib ute s uch a c ombi ned li bra ry, p ro vid ed
th at th e sep ara te di str ibu ti on of t he wo rk b ase d on th e Lib rar y an d of
th e oth er lib rar y f aci lit ies is o th er wis e per mi tt ed, an d pr ov ided t hat y ou
do t hes e tw o thi ngs :
a) A cco mpan y th e comb ined l ibr ar y wi th a co py of t he s ame w ork b ase d
on t he Li bra ry, un com bine d wi th an y ot her li bra ry f ac ilit ies . Th is mus t be
dis tr ibu ted u nder t he te rms o f th e Sec ti ons a bov e.
b) Gi ve pr omi nen t not ice w it h the c ombi ned li bra r y of th e fa ct t hat p ar t
of i t is a wo rk ba sed o n the L ibr ar y, and e xp lain ing wh er e to find t he
ac comp any ing u nco mbin ed fo rm o f the s ame w ork .
8. Yo u may n ot co py, mo dif y, sub lice nse , link w it h, or dis tr ibu te t he Li bra r y
ex cep t as e xpr ess ly pr ov id ed und er thi s Lic ens e. An y at te mpt o the r wis e
to c opy, mo dif y, su blic ens e, link w it h, or di st rib ute t he L ibr ar y is vo id,
and w ill au to mat ica lly t erm inat e yo ur ri ght s und er thi s Lic ens e. Ho we ver,
par t ies w ho ha ve r ec eiv ed co pie s, or r igh ts , fr om yo u unde r this L ic ense
wi ll not h av e the ir lic ense s ter mina te d so lo ng as su ch pa rt ies r ema in in
full compliance.
9. You a re n ot re quir ed t o acc ept t his L ice nse, sinc e you h av e not s igne d
it . Ho we ver, no thi ng els e gra nt s you p er missi on to m odi f y or dis tr ibu te
th e Lib rar y or i ts d eri v ati ve w or ks. T he se a ct ions a re pr ohi bit ed by l aw if
yo u do no t acc ept t his L ice nse. T he re for e, b y modi f yin g or dis tr ibu tin g the
Lib ra ry (o r any w or k bas ed on t he L ibr ar y), y ou ind ica te y our ac cep ta nce
of t his Li cen se to d o so, a nd all i ts t erm s and co ndi tio ns for c op yin g,
dis tr ibu ting o r mod if yi ng th e Lib rar y o r wor ks b ase d on it .
10. E ac h time y ou r edi str ibu te t he Li bra r y (or an y wor k bas ed o n the
Lib ra ry ), th e re cipi ent a uto mat ica lly r ec eiv es a li cens e fr om t he or igin al
lic ens or to co py, dis tr ibu te, l ink wi th o r modi f y th e Libr ar y su bje ct t o the se
ter ms a nd con dit ions . You ma y no t impo se an y fu rt her r es tr ic tio ns on t he
re cip ien ts’ e xe rci se of t he r igh ts g ran ted h er ein. Yo u are n ot r esp onsi ble
fo r enf or cing c ompl ianc e by t hird p ar ti es wi th t his Li cen se.
1 1. If, as a c onse que nce o f a cour t j udgm ent o r alle gat ion o f pa ten t
inf ri ngem ent o r for a ny o the r rea son (n ot li mit ed to p ate nt iss ues) ,
con dit ion s are im pos ed on y ou (w he the r by co ur t or der, ag ree men t or
ot her w ise) t hat c ont ra dic t th e cond iti ons o f this L ic ense , the y do no t
ex cus e yo u fro m th e cond iti ons o f this L ice nse . If yo u can not d ist rib ute s o
as to s at isf y si mul tan eous ly y our ob liga ti ons un der t his Li cens e and a ny
ot her p er tin ent o blig ati ons , the n as a con seq uen ce yo u may n ot dis tr ibu te
th e Lib rar y a t all. F or e xam ple, i f a pat en t lice nse w ould n ot p erm it ro y alt y-
fr ee r edis tr ibu ti on of t he Li bra r y by all t hos e wh o re cei ve co pie s dir ec tl y or
ind ire ct ly t hro ugh y ou, t hen t he onl y wa y yo u cou ld sa tis f y bot h it an d this
Li cens e wo uld be t o re fr ain en tir el y fr om dis tr ibu tio n of th e Lib rar y.
If a ny po r tio n of th is se ct ion is h eld in va lid or un enf or cea ble un der an y
par t icu lar cir cu mst anc e, th e bala nce o f th e sec ti on is in ten ded t o appl y,
and t he s ec tio n as a wh ole is i nte nde d to app ly in o th er cir cum st ance s.
It i s not t he pur po se of t his s ec tio n to in duce y ou t o inf rin ge an y pat ent s
or o the r pro per t y ri ght c laim s or to c ont est v ali dit y of a ny su ch cl aims ;
thi s sec t ion ha s the s ole p urp ose o f pr ote ct ing t he in teg ri t y of th e fr ee
so ft w are d ist rib ut ion s ys te m whi ch is imp lem ent ed by p ubli c lic ense
pr ac tic es. M any p eop le ha ve ma de ge ner ous c ont rib ut ions t o the w ide
ra nge o f sof t wa re di str ibu te d thr oug h tha t sy st em in r elia nce o n
con sis ten t appl ica tio n of th at s ys tem ; it is up t o th e aut hor/don or to
de cide i f he or s he is w illin g to dis tr ibu te s of tw ar e thr oug h any o th er
s ys tem an d a lic ense e can not im pos e tha t ch oice .
Th is se ct ion is i nte nde d to mak e tho ro ughl y cle ar wh at is b elie ve d to be a
con seq uen ce of t he re st o f thi s Lic ense .
12 . If t he dis tr ibu tio n and/or u se of t he L ibr ar y is re st ri ct ed in ce rt ain
cou ntr ie s eit her b y pa ten ts or b y cop yr ig hte d int er fa ces , the o rig inal
cop yr ig ht ho lder w ho pl ace s the L ibr ar y un der th is Li cens e may a dd an
explicit geograp hical distribution limitation excl uding those countries,
so t hat d ist rib uti on is p erm it ted o nly i n or am ong co unt rie s no t thus
ex clu ded. I n suc h cas e, thi s Lic ens e inco rp ora te s the li mit ati on as i f wr it ten
in th e bo dy of t his L ice nse.
13 . Th e Fre e So ft w are F oun dat ion m ay pub lish r ev ise d and/o r new v er sion s
of t he Le sse r Gen era l Pub lic L icen se f rom t ime t o tim e. Suc h ne w ver sio ns
wi ll be sim ilar i n spir it to t he pr es ent v er sio n, bu t may di er in de tail t o
add res s ne w pro blem s or co ncer ns .
Ea ch ve rsi on is g iv en a dis tin guish ing v ers ion nu mber. I f the L ibr ar y
spe ci fies a v er sio n numb er of t his Li cen se wh ich a ppli es to i t and “a ny la ter
ve rsi on”, you h ave t he op ti on of f ollo wi ng th e ter ms and c ondi ti ons ei the r
of t hat v er sion o r of an y lat er ve rsi on pu blish ed b y the F re e Sof t wa re
Fo unda tio n. If t he L ibr ar y do es no t spe cif y a li cen se ve rsi on num ber, y ou
ma y cho ose a ny ve rs ion e ver p ublis hed b y th e Fre e So ft w are F oun dat ion .
14 . If y ou w ish to in cor po ra te par t s of t he Li bra r y int o oth er fr ee p rog ra ms
wh ose d ist rib ut ion co ndi tio ns ar e inco mpa tibl e wi th th es e, wr it e to th e
au tho r to ask f or p erm issio n. F or so ft w are w hic h is co py rig hte d by t he
Fr ee S of tw ar e Fo unda tio n, wr it e to th e Fr ee S of tw ar e Fo unda tio n; we
so met ime s make e xc ept ions f or t his. O ur de cisi on wi ll be gu ide d by th e t wo
go als of p res er v ing th e fr ee s ta tus of a ll der iv at iv es of o ur fr ee s of t war e
and o f pr omo ting t he sh ari ng and r eus e of s of tw ar e gen era lly.
NO W A RRA NT Y
15 . BEC A USE T HE L IB RA RY I S LI CEN SE D FR EE OF C H ARG E, T HE RE IS
NO WA RR A N T Y FO R TH E LIB R AR Y , T O T HE E X TE NT P ER MI T T ED B Y
AP P LIC A BL E L AW. EXC EP T W HE N OT HE RW ISE S TATED I N WR I TIN G T HE
CO PY R IGH T HO LD ER S AN D/OR O TH ER PA RT IE S PRO V IDE T HE L IBR A RY
“AS IS ” WI T HOU T WA RR A NT Y OF AN Y K IND , EI TH ER E XP RE SS ED OR
IMP L IED, I NC LUD ING , BU T NO T LI MI TE D TO , TH E IMP LI ED WAR R A NT IE S
OF M ERC HA N TABI LI T Y A ND FI T NE SS FO R A PAR T ICU L AR P UR PO SE . TH E
EN T IRE R IS K AS T O T HE QU AL IT Y AND P ER FO RM A NCE O F T HE LI BR A RY
IS W IT H Y OU. S HOU LD T HE L IB RA RY P RO VE D EF EC T IV E, Y OU A SS UME
T HE CO ST O F AL L NE CES SA RY S ERV IC ING , RE PA IR OR C OR REC T IO N.
16 . IN NO E V EN T UN LE SS RE QU IRE D BY A PP L IC AB LE L AW O R AGR EE D TO
IN W RI T ING W IL L AN Y CO P YR IG HT H OL DER , OR A N Y OT HE R PAR T Y W HO
M A Y MO DIF Y A ND/O R RE DIS T RI BU TE T HE L IB R AR Y AS P ER MI T TE D
AB O VE , BE L IA BL E TO Y OU F OR D AM AG ES, I NC LUD ING A N Y GEN ER A L,
SP EC IA L, I NCI DEN TAL O R CO NSE QUE NT I AL D AM AG ES A RI SIN G OU T
OF T HE U SE OR I NA BI LI T Y TO U SE T HE L IBR A RY ( INC LUD IN G BU T NO T
LI MI TE D TO L OSS O F DATA OR DATA BE ING R EN DE RED I NA CC UR ATE O R
LO SSE S SU STA INE D BY Y OU OR T HI RD PA RT IE S OR A FA IL UR E OF T HE
LI BR A RY T O OP ER ATE W IT H A NY O T HER S OF T WA RE ), E V EN IF S UC H
HO LD ER OR O T HER PA RT Y HA S BE EN A DV ISE D OF T HE P OS SIB ILI T Y
OF S UC H DA MA GE S.
EN D OF T ER MS A ND CO NDI T ION S
Ho w to A ppl y Th ese Ter ms to Yo ur Ne w Lib rar ies
If y ou de ve lop a n ew lib rar y, an d you w an t it to b e of t he gr eat es t pos sibl e
use t o th e publi c, w e re comm end m akin g it f ree s of t wa re th at e ver y one
can r ed ist rib ut e and ch ange . You ca n do so b y pe rmi tt ing r edis tr ibu ti on
und er th ese t er ms (or, alt er nat iv ely, un der t he te rms o f the o rdi nar y
Ge ner al Pu blic L ice nse) .
To appl y the se te rms , at ta ch th e fol low ing n oti ces t o the l ibr ar y. It is
sa fes t to a tt ac h them t o th e st ar t of ea ch so urc e file t o mos t e ec t iv ely
con ve y th e exc lusi on of w ar ran t y; an d eac h file sh oul d hav e at le ast t he
“co py rig ht ” line a nd a po int er to w her e the f ull n oti ce is f ound .
one l ine t o giv e th e libr ar y ’s name a nd an id ea of w hat i t do es. > Cop yr igh t
(C ) yea r name o f au tho r
Th is libr ar y is f re e sof t w are ; you c an r edis tr ibu te it a nd/or m odi fy i t und er
th e ter ms of t he GN U Le sser G ene ral P ubl ic Li cens e as pu blish ed b y the
Fr ee S of tw ar e Fou nda tio n; eit her v er sion 2 .1 of th e Lic ens e, or (at y our
option) any later version.
Th is libr ar y is d ist rib ute d in th e hop e tha t it w ill be u sef ul, b ut
W IT HO UT A N Y WAR R AN T Y; wi th out e ve n the im plie d wa rr ant y of
ME RCH A NTA BIL IT Y or FI T NES S FO R A PAR TI CU LA R P UR PO SE. S ee t he
GN U Les ser G ener al P ubli c Lic ens e for m or e det ails .
You sh oul d hav e re cei ve d a cop y of th e GNU L es ser G ener al P ubli c Lic ens e
alo ng wi th t his lib rar y ; if n ot, w ri te t o the F re e Sof t wa re F ound ati on, I nc. ,
5 1 Fra nkli n Str eet , Fi ft h Fl oor, B ost on, M A 02 1 10 -13 01 U SA
Al so ad d inf orm ati on on h ow to c ont ac t yo u by el ec tr oni c and pa per m ail.
You sh oul d also g et y our em plo yer ( if y ou w ork a s a pro gr amme r) or y our
sc hoo l, if a ny, to si gn a “co py rig ht di scla imer ” f or th e libr ar y, if ne ce ssar y.
Her e is a s ampl e; al ter t he nam es:
Yoy od yn e, Inc ., he re by dis cla ims all c opy r igh t int ere st in t he lib ra ry ` Fr ob’
(a libr ar y f or t wea king k nob s) wr it te n by Ja mes R and om Hac ker.
sig nat ure o f Ty Coo n, 1 Ap ril 1 99 0
Ty Coo n, Pr es iden t of V ice
53