Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by desas 780 days ago
> you can't "dual license" GPL code.

Yes you can, and lots of very popular open source software have done so, including Mozilla, MySQL and QT. RMS also says it is fine: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/selling-exceptions.

> You being the sole developer in all of this is irrelevant.

It's the fundamental point.

If you own the copyright to project A and you own the copyright of some patches to project B then you can combine them however you like and distribute them under whatever licences you like.

GPL governs distribution. As the copyright owner you aren't "distributing" those patches to yourself, so the GPL doesn't apply.

[0] https://www-archive.mozilla.org/mpl/relicensing-faq

[1] https://www.mysql.com/about/legal/licensing/oem/

[2] https://www.qt.io/qt-licensing