[Discuss] Profiting from GPL software (was: Hey FCC, Don't Lock Down Our Wi-Fi Routers | WIRED)

[Robert Krawitz]

On Mon, 9 Nov 2015 14:40:52 -0500, Rich Pieri wrote:
> On 11/9/2015 1:07 PM, Robert Krawitz wrote:
>> Nothing in the GPL restricts what you can charge for selling the
>> software in the first place.  It's only the accompanying source code
>> that you have to provide for no more than the actual cost of the
>> distribution.
>
> I did not say you can't try to charge money for it. I said that you
> can't make a profit from trying to sell it. Again I ask: what is
> dishonest about this statement?

I think it depends upon what you define as "profit from trying to sell
it".  If you insist that it only counts direct sales with no support,
I agree that it's likely to be difficult to make a profit (although
the FSF used to make a small amount of money selling tapes of some of
their software, but these days with the net it's going to be a lot
harder).

But if you count support contracts bundled with the software, it's a
very different picture.  And since the support contract wouldn't exist
without the underlying software, I think it's nitpicking to not count
that.
-- 
Robert Krawitz                                     <rlk at alum.mit.edu>

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