GPL Open Source Licensing

[aiaustin]

https://blog.inf.ed.ac.uk/atate/2023/03/21/ready-player-me-avatars-in-second-life-and-opensim/#comment-714

atate - March 21, 2023 at 17:17

I wanted to clarify that https://github.com/nessaki/Onigiri and https://github.com/gaffe-buck/bentobuddy repositories were legitimate derivatives or forks of Bento Buddy. So I did check the situation via a number of routes.

Blender requires addons to be licenced as GPL and this applies to Bento Buddy. The situation is nuanced as the core product and scripts are indeed GPL licensed as Bin Bash, the author, has pointed out on Discord (02/11/2022 4:01 PM) and the inworld Second Life group. But from 2023 onwards the export of Collada (.dae) requires a paid current licence to a web service called the “expression” service. 2022 and earlier versions of Bento Buddy are licensed as GPLv3 as described in the addon README.txt file and work without such a current Expression service usage licence.

https://www.blender.org/about/license/

Sharing or selling Blender add-ons (Python scripts):

Blender’s Python API is an integral part of the software, used to define the user interface or develop tools for example. The GNU GPL license therefore requires that such scripts (if published) are being shared under a GPL compatible license. You are free to sell such scripts, but the sales then is restricted to the download service itself. Your customers will receive the script under the same license (GPL), with the same free conditions as everyone has for Blender.

Regarding 3rd party addons:

Blender also includes the Blender Python API, so every piece of code of the addon that uses some Blender Python API must be also licensed under GNU. This only applies to the addon script files or binaries.

What does that mean:

It does not mean the author must give you such code for free. It means when you have the code, you are free to distribute it (or modify) under the same license. You can distribute it however you like – for free or for money.

When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for them if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs, and that you know you can do these things.(excerpt from GNU)

If the addon includes artwork (assets, textures, etc.) these have their own licenses and you will have to get permission to distribute them. … Script files usually have header inside stating the license.

atate - March 21, 2023 at 20:33

The README.txt file in Bento Buddy 3.0.5.1 (the last paid for version I have available from 2022) is replicated below to clarify that Bento Buddy up to the end of 2022 was indeed licenced GPLv3. The LICENSE.txt file indicates GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 29 June 2007.

A full license description is provided in the file LICENSE.txt and elsewhere.
Below is the standard header identifying the license associated with this software.

–

Bento Buddy 3.0.5.1
Bento Buddy

Copyright (C) 2012 – 2022 – Critters

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/ .

[Gusher]

....SO SO it means can still be updated without the expression service.. the last release without it that is...