Creating themes and licensing [closed]

StackOverflow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17251778

  •  01-06-2022
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Question

I'm currently creating website themes that I would sell in online marketplaces. In the themes I am using jquery plugins like Flexslider and Gmap3. Most of these plugins say that they are free to use, but not for commercial purposes. Now what does that mean?

I'm not selling there plugins to anyone, I am just using their plugins to create a theme and sell that. Now is that a commercial purpose that the plugin disallows? Or they just don't want us to sell their plugins exclusively?

Please let me know about this. Thank you.

Was it helpful?

Solution

Most of these plugins say that they are free to use, but not for commercial purposes. Now what does that mean?

This is totally undefined. It can mean for example that you need to exclude them from the selling price of your theme. E.g. you sell your theme but those plugins you give away for free.

I'm not selling there plugins to anyone, I am just using their plugins to create a theme and sell that. Now is that a commercial purpose that the plugin disallows?

Well creating something new out of it and then selling it with those plugins is selling those plugins which I think could qualify as commercial purpose (it still might make a difference if you actually make money with that or you just take the money to cover the transport costs or the costs you had to integrate that plugin, so there is no financial gain).

Or they just don't want us to sell their plugins exclusively?

Exclusively selling their plugins does not work because you have no exclusive rights on them anyway. Also you need to address those questions to the plugin authors, as I outlined, the term "commercial purpose" remains undefined. So I'd say it's your duty to clarify your usage patterns individually with those authors if you want to sell those plugins.

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