[Matplotlib-users] License, freetype

_Paul_Hobson · February 17, 2017, 10:52pm

Chad,

My recollections is that matplotlib doesn’t distribute the source code to FreeType, it only uses it as a dependency. As such, MPL is in the clear with its more permissive licensing.

-Paul

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On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 12:45 PM, CAB <cabraut@…42…> wrote:

Hi, All,

I just went to install matplotlib version 2.0.0, and it has a dependency called “freetype”. This software appears to be licensed under GPL3. My reading of that latter license is that, if someone wanted to distribute a compiled version of a program requiring matplotlib, that entire program would fall under the GPL3 license. I’m sure that would be a non-starter for many, many projects.

Does anyone have any takes on this?

Chad

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Joe_Kington2 · February 17, 2017, 11:03pm

Well, if Freetype were only distributed under the GPL, you couldn’t distribute matplotlib in binary form without providing the source code.

However, Freetype is distributed under more than one license. (see: https://www.freetype.org/license.html )

Because
it’s distributed under a BSD-style license in addition to the GPL, it can be distributed in binary form, subject to an accreditation clause: http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/freetype/freetype2.git/tree/docs/FTL.TXT

In the past, I have gotten approval from corporate lawyers at a very large company to use freetype (and matplotlib) in an application that was being distributed in binary form. The dual-licensing of freetype was key in that particular case.

Or
that’s my take on it, anyway. I’m not a Lawyer, so don’t consider this
legal advice in any way.

Cheers!

-Joe

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On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 4:52 PM, Paul Hobson <pmhobson@…149…> wrote: