Selling opensource components??

[webamoeba]

Hi guys,

Not sure this is the right place to ask this... but I'll go ahead anyway

I was contacted by a member of the Joomla! community who kindly pointed out that someone is selling my opensource GPL component (WebAmoeba Ticket System):
http://joomlapack.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=5&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26

I notice that they are also selling RokReporter and Joomlapack - I'm not sure what the licenses are for these??

Anyway, I'm not overly familiar with all the ins-and-outs of the GPL license, so the question is, are they allowed to do this???

[PhilTaylor-Prazgod]

So you released a component under the GPL without knowing what the GPL License allows? :-) :-) :-) :-)

Anyone can charge for distributing GPL Software - there is nothing in the license that forbids it.  However if they have changed your copyright statements in the code then they have breached the GPL (I have not checked if they have)

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html

[webamoeba]

shhhhhhh, Phil dunt tell anyone! it's a secret!

I was young... what can I say :p

Just one question, do they have to state that it is opensource?

ps. wow that was a quick response!

[ot2sen]

Not really a question for Joomla! Extensions Directory, but you can have a comment 

Doesnt this look like services they offer for their hosting customers?
To me it looks like installation/setup fees. Could be wrong though.

[LorenzoG]

Ot2sen is on right spot.

If you read on their homepage (It's in Spanish) they state quite clear that they sell service around the Open Source and the extensions are a part of their hosting service. They state that they don't sell the free software. What you pay as customer is service for consulting, the installation, the set-up and the maintance for the extensions. They also offer analyses and suggestion of extensions.

[webamoeba]

Ahhhh, it's Spanish! Fore some reason I didn't recognise it... obviously a senior moment :p

All makes sense now, I thought it would be a bit odd to try and sell it when it would be so easy to find it for free. I did wander if it was a service oriented product, but not being able to read the text meant I had no idea lol.

Thanks for the input everyone

[joomborg]

Ahhhh, it's Spanish! Fore some reason I didn't recognise it... obviously a senior moment :p

All makes sense now, I thought it would be a bit odd to try and sell it when it would be so easy to find it for free. I did wander if it was a service oriented product, but not being able to read the text meant I had no idea lol.

Thanks for the input everyone

welcome to the GPL world :

spending lots of time and then seeing a random 14-yrs old kid
selling your OWN software ?

no, thanks,
that's why im not into GPL apart as a user.

[LorenzoG]

welcome to the GPL world :

spending lots of time and then seeing a random 14-yrs old kid
selling your OWN software ?

no, thanks,
that's why im not into GPL apart as a user.

I see that you are whining in quite many of your post about GPL and as you feel, it's disadvantages.. Joomla! and many other open source projects are GPL projects and if you feel that they don't fit your needs, then you can find many proprietary and other open source CMS with different licence out there. Thanks

[joomborg]

switching to another CMS ?
dont worry, i'm already moving to Drupal for some projects.


besides, i wasn't criticizing Joomla, but the GPL licence in general
and his supporters who in many cases live in a detached reality
where money grows on trees and bills get paid by themselves.

because of GPL, commercial products have often a hard time
competing with similar products that cost zero bucks, as this
is simply unfair competition, it's ruining a market where
many people could make a living, and finally it contributes
to this horrible attitude of expecting everything free on the web.

honestly, i use joomla exactly for this reason.
hey, at least i'm honest !

[webamoeba]

because of GPL, commercial products have often a hard time competing with similar products that cost zero bucks, as this is simply unfair competition, it's ruining a market where many people could make a living, and finally it contributes to this horrible attitude of expecting everything free on the web.

Unfair competition???? What are you on about????

OS software is totally different to commercial software!! Sure OS is free, but commercial software will always have the advantage that the supplier is liable for faults in the software.

Anyway this is way off topic, if you really want to discuss this, don't hijack other peoples threads!

[AmyStephen]

Joomborg -

That's not "honest" - it's ungrateful and obnoxious. You take the free gift, benefit from it, but turn around and criticize people who provide it to you in their forums. If you believe free software (i.e., ability to read, study, adapt, distribute) is harmful to the world, then stay away from it as that would be an "honest" response.

Please do not behave this way in the Joomla! forums. Free software communities are built on volunteerism and these types of rants suck fun out of the place.

Sincere apologies to webamoeba.

Amy

[Wendy]

I'm going to lock this one up everyone. 

@joomborg:  You seem to be interested in pushing an agenda on the forums.  I recommend you save yourself (and ourselves) the time, and just stop.  Please. 

@webameoba:  Apologies that your thread has been hijacked.  Please direct any specific legal questions you may have to: license AT opensourcematters DOT org

[alexmohuanna]

I´m the owner of joomlapack. And for those who don't read in spanish, I want to confirm that joomlapack.com don't SELL any software, neither own, nor other people's. Joomlapack.com (JPX) have experience with Joomla! and components, and offer services to companies looking for "worry free instalations". They don't want to deal with programers or beta versions, that's our job.

Webamoeba, either does not say in his post that all the components promoted in our web site have clearly linked to the official home page of the producers.

Also when we decided to take the domain joomlapack, we don't even know that joomlapack component exist. Joomlapack it's an easy concept to understand. It's a pack of solutions Joomla+components+professional hosting+design

We are convinced that our experience is worth, and for that reason we offer our services.

For us it is very sad that this post, because only confuses people, and we are thankful to the moderator to let us clarify this matter.