Changes between Version 11 and Version 12 of Licensing_FAQ

Timestamp:: Nov 17, 2016 8:50:48 AM (8 years ago)
Author:: Frank Mehnert
Comment:: Changes approved by Oracle Legal (David Madsen)

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Licensing_FAQ

-              v11
+              v12
 = Licensing: Frequently Asked Questions =
 This page deals with questions you may have about !VirtualBox and its licensing. You may want to look at the [wiki:"User_FAQ" User FAQ] and [wiki:"Developer_FAQ" Developer FAQ] for additional topics. This information is accurate for !VirtualBox 4.0 and later, when the packaging was redesigned in order to simplify the licensing.
+This page deals with questions you may have about !VirtualBox and its licensing. This information is accurate for !VirtualBox 4.0 and later. You may want to look at the [wiki:"User_FAQ" User FAQ] and [wiki:"Developer_FAQ" Developer FAQ] for additional topics.
 . '''What license is !VirtualBox released under?'''
+. '''How is !VirtualBox licensed?'''
  The base packages (everything but the extension pack) is released under the [wiki:"GPL" GNU General Public License V2]. Essentially, this means that you get the full source code of !VirtualBox, and you can distribute and modify it, provided that you ship all modifications under the GPL as well.
+ The !VirtualBox base package (i.e., everything but the !VirtualBox Extension Pack) contains the full !VirtualBox source code and platform binaries and is licensed under the [wiki:"GPL" GNU General Public License, version 2]. You can distribute and modify the base package, provided that you distribute all modifications under the GPLv2 as well.
  If you want the extra features in the extension pack you can use them free of charge for personal use or evaluation purposes. Both packages -- !VirtualBox base package and !VirtualBox extension pack -- are available from the [wiki:"Downloads"] page.
+ The !VirtualBox Extension Pack is available under the [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" VirtualBox Personal Use and Evaluation License], which is a free license for personal, educational or evaluation use, or an Enterprise License, which is for fee license that covers most other business uses.
 . '''Can I buy a commercial license for !VirtualBox?'''
+ More information about the Oracle VM !VirtualBox Enterprise License for the !VirtualBox Extension Pack can be found on the [http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/virtualization/virtualbox/overview/index.html Oracle VM VirtualBox] pages, which also contains a link to the [https://shop.oracle.com/apex/f?p=dstore:product:25714122115624::NO:RP,6:P6_LPI,P6_PPI:114347640102492137513432 Oracle Store] where you can directly buy licenses. Please [mailto:[email protected] contact Oracle] for additional information.
  If you are an individual end user, there is generally no need to purchase a commercial license, provided that you respect, in the case of the !VirtualBox base package, the terms and conditions of the [wiki:"GPL"], or, in the case of the !VirtualBox extension pack, those of the [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License].
+. '''Will the licensing terms of !VirtualBox be changed in the future?'''
  As an enterprise customer, we encourage you to purchase commercial licenses from Oracle and receive benefits such as access to enterprise features and support for mission-critical use of !VirtualBox. More information is available on the [http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/virtualization/virtualbox/overview/index.html Oracle VirtualBox VM] pages, which also contain a link to the Oracle store where you can directly buy licenses. We also encourage ISVs and IHVs to incorporate !VirtualBox into their offerings, preferably through a custom license deal with Oracle. Please [mailto:[email protected] contact Oracle] for additional information.
+ We are not currently planning to do so, but it doesn't really matter. The license that Oracle has granted you with the GPL is perpetual and cannot be taken back. Even if Oracle were to change the license again, this would only affect future versions, and anybody would still be permitted to redistribute the existing !VirtualBox code under the terms of the GPL.
 . '''How can !VirtualBox be both open source and commercially licensed?'''
+. '''What do you mean by ''personal use'' and ''educational use'' in the [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License] (“PUEL”)?'''
  This is called "dual licensing". Since Oracle holds all the copyrights to the !VirtualBox code, or is at least permitted to relicense code that is owned by external contributors or other parties, we are free to choose the terms under which we license the code to our customers, or the open-source community.
+ Personal Use is defined in the PUEL as an instance of the !VirtualBox Extension Pack that is downloaded onto a single Host Computer and accessed on the same Host Computer or on a single client that is connected to that Host Computer for the purpose of displaying Guest Computers remotely.
 . '''Why dual licensing?'''
+ Educational use is defined in the PUEL as “any use by teachers or students in an academic institution... as part of the institution’s educational curriculum.”
  We -- like other companies -- believe that dual licensing gives both developers and users the best of two worlds. While anyone is free to look at the code and even improve it, commercial licenses support the company and allow for professional maintenance and support. The open-source community gets more high-quality free software at no cost, while businesses can rely on quality support from our first-hand developers. Both worlds profit from each other: The commercial licenses support both our business, and the open-source community, and vice versa.
+. '''What are the benefits of purchasing an [https://shop.oracle.com/apex/f?p=dstore:product:25714122115624::NO:RP,6:P6_LPI,P6_PPI:114347640102492137513432 Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise] license?'''
 . '''Will the licensing terms of !VirtualBox be changed in the future?'''
+ With Oracle VM !VirtualBox Enterprise, you can better manage, track and record your !VirtualBox Extension Pack software usage within your enterprise and ensure that all installations are properly updated and have the latest security patches. In addition, Oracle VM !VirtualBox Enterprise can optionally come with world class support from Oracle covering both the Oracle VM !VirtualBox base package and the !VirtualBox Extension Pack.
  We are not currently planning to do so, but it doesn't really matter. Any code that was once released under the GPL cannot be "closed" again. The license that Oracle has granted you with the GPL is perpetual and cannot be taken back. Even if Oracle were to change the license again, this could only affect future versions, and anybody would still be permitted to redistribute the existing !VirtualBox code under the terms of the GPL.
+. '''How do I purchase an [https://shop.oracle.com/apex/f?p=dstore:product:25714122115624::NO:RP,6:P6_LPI,P6_PPI:114347640102492137513432 Oracle VM VirtualBox Enterprise] license?'''
 . '''What exactly do you mean by ''personal use'' and ''academic use'' in the [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License]?'''
+ To purchase Oracle VM !VirtualBox Enterprise licenses, [https://shop.oracle.com/pls/ostore/f?p=dstore:product:6346313915457813::NO:RP,6:P6_LPI,P6_PROD_HIER_ID:114347640102492137513432,4510278280861805728469 visit the Oracle Store], or [http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/contact/global-070511.html contact your local sales office].  Oracle VM !VirtualBox Enterprise Named User Plus licenses must be purchased in an initial quantity of at least 100.
  Personal use is when you install the product on one or more PCs yourself and you make use of it (or even your friend, sister and grandmother). It doesn't matter whether you just use it for fun or run your multi-million euro business with it. Also, if you install it on your work PC at some large company, this is still personal use. However, if you are an administrator and want to deploy it to the 500 desktops in your company, this would no longer qualify as ''personal use''. Well, you could ask each of your 500 employees to install !VirtualBox but don't you think we deserve some money in this case? We'd even assist you with any issue you might have.
+. '''Can I redistribute the !VirtualBox base package binaries?'''
  Use at academic institutions such as schools, colleges and universities by both teachers and students is covered. So in addition to the personal use which is always permitted, academic institutions may also choose to roll out the software in an automated way to make it available to its students and personnel.
+ Yes. The GPLv2 allows you to distribute the !VirtualBox base package binaries, in modified or unmodified form, as long as you adhere to the terms and conditions of the GPLv2.
 . '''Can I redistribute the !VirtualBox base package binaries?'''
+. '''What are “!VirtualBox Guest Additions”?'''
  Yes. The GPL allows you to download the !VirtualBox binaries, including the right to redistribute these binaries as long as you adhere to the other terms and conditions of the GPL.
+ The “!VirtualBox Guest Additions” are a set of software drivers and utilities that are shipped as a subset of the !VirtualBox base package and that are installed inside a virtual machine for better performance and usability. Like the !VirtualBox base package, the !VirtualBox Guest Additions are licensed under the GPLv2.
 . '''Can I redistribute the !VirtualBox extension pack?'''
+. '''Can I redistribute !VirtualBox Guest Additions?'''
  No. The [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License] allows you to download the !VirtualBox extension pack binaries for personal and academic use and for evaluation, but it does not give you the right to redistribute these binaries. So you may not put them onto your own websites or other mirrors. We do this because we would presently like to keep track of how many people are downloading these binaries.
+ Yes. The GPLv2 allows you to distribute the !VirtualBox Guest Additions, in modified or unmodified form, as long as you adhere to the terms and conditions of the GPLv2.
 . '''Which guidelines apply to the use of the name ''!VirtualBox''?'''
+. '''Can I redistribute the !VirtualBox Extension Pack?'''
+ The term ''!VirtualBox'' has been registered by Oracle as a trademark in various countries. It may be freely used together with the products available from this web site. However, if you choose to ship custom binaries and/or source code revisions of the product, Oracle reserves the right to deny use of the trademark ''!VirtualBox''. This might seem rather strict but we believe that it is important to avoid any kind of confusion arising from multiple versions of the same product coming from different sources.
+ No. Neither the [wiki:"VirtualBox_PUEL" Personal Use and Evaluation License] nor the Oracle VM !VirtualBox Enterprise license allows you to distribute the !VirtualBox Extension Pack binaries. So you may not make them available on your own websites or other mirrors or distribute them in any other way.
+. '''Which guidelines apply to the use of the name ''!VirtualBox''?'''
+ The term “!VirtualBox” has been registered by Oracle as a trademark in various countries. If you choose to ship custom binaries and/or source code revisions of the product, you may not use the !VirtualBox name in those versions.
+Last updated 17 November 2016