| @node Library Copying |
| @unnumbered GNU Lesser General Public License |
| |
| @cindex LGPL, GNU Lesser General Public License |
| @center Version 2.1, February 1999 |
| |
| @display |
| Copyright @copyright{} 1991, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
| 59 Temple Place -- Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA |
| |
| Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies |
| of this license document, but changing it is not allowed. |
| |
| [This is the first released version of the Lesser GPL. It also counts |
| as the successor of the GNU Library Public License, version 2, hence the |
| version number 2.1.] |
| @end display |
| |
| @heading Preamble |
| |
| The licenses for most software are designed to take away your |
| freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public |
| Licenses are intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change |
| free software---to make sure the software is free for all its users. |
| |
| This license, the Lesser General Public License, applies to some |
| specially designated software---typically libraries---of the Free |
| Software Foundation and other authors who decide to use it. You can use |
| it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether this |
| license or the ordinary General Public License is the better strategy to |
| use in any particular case, based on the explanations below. |
| |
| When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom of use, |
| not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that |
| you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge |
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| it if you want it; that you can change the software and use pieces of it |
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| |
| To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid |
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| For example, if you distribute copies of the library, whether gratis |
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| We protect your rights with a two-step method: (1) we copyright the |
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| |
| Most GNU software, including some libraries, is covered by the |
| ordinary GNU General Public License. This license, the GNU Lesser |
| General Public License, applies to certain designated libraries, and |
| is quite different from the ordinary General Public License. We use |
| this license for certain libraries in order to permit linking those |
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| When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using |
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| We call this license the @dfn{Lesser} General Public License because it |
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| For example, on rare occasions, there may be a special need to |
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| library does the same job as widely used non-free libraries. In this |
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| In other cases, permission to use a particular library in non-free |
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| non-free programs enables many more people to use the whole GNU |
| operating system, as well as its variant, the GNU/Linux operating |
| system. |
| |
| Although the Lesser General Public License is Less protective of the |
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| The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and |
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| |
| @iftex |
| @heading TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION |
| @end iftex |
| @ifinfo |
| @center GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE |
| @center TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION |
| @end ifinfo |
| |
| @enumerate 0 |
| @item |
| This License Agreement applies to any software library or other program |
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| @enumerate a |
| @item |
| Accompany the work with the complete corresponding |
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| @enumerate a |
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| Accompany the combined library with a copy of the same work |
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| @end enumerate |
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| You may not copy, modify, sublicense, link with, or distribute |
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| This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to |
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| If the distribution and/or use of the Library is restricted in |
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| @item |
| The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new |
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| If you wish to incorporate parts of the Library into other free |
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| |
| @iftex |
| @heading NO WARRANTY |
| @end iftex |
| @ifinfo |
| @center NO WARRANTY |
| @end ifinfo |
| |
| @item |
| BECAUSE THE LIBRARY IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO |
| WARRANTY FOR THE LIBRARY, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. |
| EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR |
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| IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN |
| WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY |
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| DAMAGES. |
| @end enumerate |
| |
| @iftex |
| @heading END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS |
| @end iftex |
| @ifinfo |
| @center END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS |
| @end ifinfo |
| |
| @page |
| @heading How to Apply These Terms to Your New Libraries |
| |
| If you develop a new library, and you want it to be of the greatest |
| possible use to the public, we recommend making it free software that |
| everyone can redistribute and change. You can do so by permitting |
| redistribution under these terms (or, alternatively, under the terms of the |
| ordinary General Public License). |
| |
| To apply these terms, attach the following notices to the library. It is |
| safest to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively |
| convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least the |
| ``copyright'' line and a pointer to where the full notice is found. |
| |
| @smallexample |
| @var{one line to give the library's name and an idea of what it does.} |
| Copyright (C) @var{year} @var{name of author} |
| |
| This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it |
| under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by |
| the Free Software Foundation; either version 2.1 of the License, or (at |
| your option) any later version. |
| |
| This library 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 |
| Lesser General Public License for more details. |
| |
| You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public |
| License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software |
| Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, |
| USA. |
| @end smallexample |
| |
| Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail. |
| |
| You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your |
| school, if any, to sign a ``copyright disclaimer'' for the library, if |
| necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names: |
| |
| @smallexample |
| Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the library |
| `Frob' (a library for tweaking knobs) written by James Random Hacker. |
| |
| @var{signature of Ty Coon}, 1 April 1990 |
| Ty Coon, President of Vice |
| @end smallexample |
| |
| That's all there is to it! |