Hey,

For GPL licensed scripts, you are allowed to modify and redistribute the code as long as you keep it GPL, and keep the history of the script, that is my understanding of it.

If a script you use is GPL, and there is a link saying "powered by myscript", can people still remove this?
I would think they can, because its just modifying the code.

Reason being i have a script and I'm wondering if they will be able to change the link.

Originally posted by jasong
Hey,

For GPL licensed scripts, you are allowed to modify and redistribute the code as long as you keep it GPL, and keep the history of the script, that is my understanding of it.


I'm not a lawyer, but as far as I know, you can make changes to GPL code as long as redistribute the changed product it under the GPL.
I don't know what you meant with the history


If a script you use is GPL, and there is a link saying "powered by myscript", can people still remove this?
I would think they can, because its just modifying the code.


I'm not sure here, but I believe that GPL'd code can not demand you assert visibly that it's powered by a certain script.
You are however required to include a statement with the files that it's licenced under the GPL..
It's considered very poor behaviour however to take an open source script and remove any copyright notifcations that come at the bottom of the output.
PLEASE NOTE that you may NOT remove the copyright notices from the source itself.


Reason being i have a script and I'm wondering if they will be able to change the link.

Probably, do you need to?
Just acknoledge the work that went into the script by leaving the link on the bottom.

Contrary to popular believe, if you modify GPL'd code you do NOT have to give the source away UNLESS you too redistribute the code.

However yes if you use ANY GPL'd code in your software you must license your software under GPL (this is why I prefer the LGPL).

You do not need to keep the history, only the copyrights of older versions.

You can do whatever you want with the code so long as you do not remove people's copyrights and pretend it's your own.

I believe jasong was asking from the point of view of a script writer. As in, will people who use his script legally have to keep the copyright notice visible? I'm not sure whether users have to keep visible notices or not. The phpBB team did a lot of research and discussion on this subject so you may want to search their forums.

So from what it seems, people are able to remove visible copyrights, but its not very good practice.

I think i recall this question either being asked on either the PHPBB site or the OScommerce site, i forget which one, but one of the officials answered back and said that you can remove it, but if you do nobody on the forum will help you.

if you remove the "powered by phpBB" on your phpBB forum for example you will not get support from them then. you can do it, however you cant remove the copyrights from the source.

Contrary to popular believe, if you modify GPL'd code you do NOT have to give the source away UNLESS you too redistribute the code.
That is clear cut for standalone programs (i.e. you change it, re-compile, and never distribute the modified program, so you dont have to make the source available), but perhaps isnt so clear for PHP scripts, where there is no executable form for most cases.

So from what it seems, people are able to remove visible copyrights, but its not very good practice.
But "Powered By Foo" isnt a copyright statement.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice/opinion.