3

I have submitted a patch for a GPL'd project and now a third-party wants to include this patch in a product. They have asked me what license my patch uses.

Does my patch have to adopt the GPL license? Or I can choose an alternative one?

Walter
  • 16,158
  • 8
  • 58
  • 95
ziu
  • 133
  • 3
  • 5
    If *you* are the author of the patch, then you can give it any license you want *unless* it also contains code from the GPL'd project. Due to the nature of a patch, I doubt that it's much use without the base against which to patch. – Joachim Sauer Dec 07 '12 at 12:49

1 Answers1

5

If you are using the original code base for which the patch was built in ANY way, you must use the GPL license.

If your patch is fully independent (which patch that is fully independent is not really a "patch") and can stand on its own two feet, then use whatever licensing you want.

This may help clarify http://www.sitepoint.com/public-license-explained/

Benjamin Trent
  • 204
  • 1
  • 6