From: Ulf Möller <ulf@openssl.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 02:47:50 +0000 (+0000)
Subject: GPL FAQ.
X-Git-Tag: OpenSSL_0_9_6a-beta1~107^2~76
X-Git-Url: https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff_plain;h=17e757478a96c9ff39c0c699f26f4ca152165bb2

GPL FAQ.

I hope this adequately summarizes the results of all those disussions.
---

diff --git a/FAQ b/FAQ
index b6fd981ce0..999eda60da 100644
--- a/FAQ
+++ b/FAQ
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ OpenSSL  -  Frequently Asked Questions
 [LEGAL] Legal questions
 
 * Do I need patent licenses to use OpenSSL?
+* Can I use OpenSSL with GPL software? 
 
 [USER] Questions on using the OpenSSL applications
 
@@ -139,6 +140,24 @@ You can configure OpenSSL so as not to use RC5 and IDEA by using
  ./config no-rc5 no-idea
 
 
+* Can I use OpenSSL with GPL software?
+
+On many systems including the major Linux and BSD distributions, yes (the
+GPL does not place restrictions on using libraries that are part of the
+normal operating system distribution).
+
+On other systems, the situation is less clear. Some GPL software copyright
+holders claim that you infringe on their rights if you use OpenSSL with
+their software on operating systems that don't normally include OpenSSL.
+
+If you develop open source software that uses OpenSSL, you may find it
+useful to choose an other license than the GPL, or state explicitely that
+"This program is released under the GPL with the additional exemption that
+compiling, linking, and/or using OpenSSL is allowed."  If you are using
+GPL software developed by others, you may want to ask the copyright holder
+for permission to use their software with OpenSSL.
+
+
 [USER] ========================================================================
 
 * Why do I get a "PRNG not seeded" error message?