Licensing
Overview
These lisensing terms are applicable for following EmbedOne Projects:
- EmbedOne Linux (EmbedOne contributions; excluding 3rd party software components)
- EmbedOne EMI
- EmbedOne EMI Web Client
- MeshDriver
Dual Licensing Model
EmbedOne projects are available under open source licensing and commercial licensing model. This dual licensing model is based on the principal of quid pro quo – meaning “something for something”. In return for the value licensee receive from using the EmbedOne Projects to create their application, EmbedOne require that licensee gives something back. Under the Dual Licensing model, EmbedOne Projects are available under:
- Commercial License for proprietary software development projects; and
- Open Source License (GNU GPL Version 3) for development of free and open source software.
License Types Comparison Chart
The following table illustrates the key differences in the EmbedOne Projects dual licensing model.
| Commercial License | Open Source License | |
|---|---|---|
| License cost | License fee charged | Always free |
| Can create proprietary applications | Yes – No need to disclose source code of the application. | No – Applications are subject to the GPL and source code must be made available |
| Updates | Updates provided automatically | Updates made available to EmbedOne community |
| Support | Professional support service and EmbedOne community support | EmbedOne community support only. Professional support service available for purchase separately |
| Charge for Runtimes | Yes | No |
For the licensee using EmbedOne Projects, this means in case of creating:
- Commercial Applications – Contribute to the development of EmbedOne Projects by purchasing a commercial license from EmbedOne. This option secures licensee the right to develop, use and distribute the application under the standard commercial license terms.
- Open Source Applications – Contribute to open source software development by placing final application under open source license (e.g. GPL version 2 or GPL version 3). This GPL demands that all users have rights to obtain, modify and redistribute the full source code of licensee’s application thus benefiting the EmbedOne Community.
If you have any questions regarding EmbedOne Project licensing, please see our FAQ for most common questions. If you can’t find answer to your question or if you are unsure which license works best for you, please contact us.