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LibreSprite / libresprite.github.io

Website for the LibreSprite project.
https://libresprite.github.io/
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Is this piracy? #16

Closed sosasees closed 4 years ago

sosasees commented 4 years ago

I wonder if LibreSprite is actually pirated Asperite. LibreSprite sounds awesome on paper, but I really don't want to pirate software

Calinou commented 4 years ago

LibreSprite is based on the last GPLv2-licensed commit of Aseprite. It's perfectly legal, as the GPLv2 allows redistribution of (un)modified works as long as it's distributed under the same license.

sosasees commented 4 years ago

Oh wait, are software authors actually allowed to change their GPL-licensed software to have another, GPL-incompatible license? I've never before heard of software authors changing the license of previously GPL-licensed software. Instead, I only heard the saying ,,One time GPL, always GPL".

Did this license change happen gradually, where one version was changed to another GPL-compatible license (but one which allows changing the license to an incompatible license), and later the license was changed again?

Or, did old code remain in the GPL and new code was made with a different license? (This possibility makes much more sense to me)

Calinou commented 4 years ago

Oh wait, are software authors actually allowed to change their GPL-licensed software to have another, GPL-incompatible license?

Yes, as long as the author holds its copyright or is given permission to change the code's license. This is the case in Aseprite, as the main author asks people to sign a contributor license agreement when they open pull requests.

Or, did old code remain in the GPL and new code was made with a different license? (This possibility makes much more sense to me)

Exactly. Open source licenses are perpetual and non-revokable by design.

sosasees commented 4 years ago

Thanks very much! Now I'm in the clear that LibreSprite is legal software and definitely NOT piracy, because it's based only off GPL-licensed parts of the Aseprite code.

beraekoklu commented 4 years ago

I would definitely not want LibreSprite to be seen as privacy, but more like a FOSS alternative. (Even though Aseprite code is on github )