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licensing question on dissector

0

When I start reading your file called README.dissector, it mentions a skeletal file called packet-PROTOABBREV.c. At the top of that file, it mentions the following license:

GNU General Public License as published by * the Free Software Foundation

Basically, my team may want me to investigate the use of this software with this license on it.

Questions:

  1. To get around this license, do I have any options besides using this (packet-PROTOABBREV.c) file.

  2. Or, is it the case that if my team uses any Wireshark dissector that my team will be obliged to abide by this license. For example, we can't sell our product developed with the above C file?

  3. Does this license affect your answer (specifically header fields) in any way, please explain?

  4. How can my team avoid the license? What can we explicitly do and not do to legally follow the license. (Should we go as far as have our legal team investigate this further?)

  5. My team wants to modify other messages that we have in our protocol. Can we do this and avoid the license, please explain?

Again thanks,

asked 07 Sep '17, 05:44

Mike123456's gravatar image

Mike123456
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converted 07 Sep '17, 06:28

Jaap's gravatar image

Jaap ♦
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1

Your comment has been converted to a comment as that's how this site works. Please read the FAQ for more information.

This is why I suggested continuing on the wireshark-dev mailing list.

(07 Sep '17, 06:28) Jaap ♦

One Answer:

1

is it the case that if my team uses any Wireshark dissector that my team will be obliged to abide by this license.

All dissectors linked into Wireshark, or dynamically loaded by Wireshark as plugins, must be licensed under the GPL. No exceptions, no workarounds, no way to avoid it.

For example, we can't sell our product developed with the above C file?

You can sell it, but if you sell it to somebody, they're then allowed to give copies to anybody they want without paying you anything. Whoever has your program has the right to get the source to the program, including your modifications, and they can then give that source to anybody they want.

Should we go as far as have our legal team investigate this further?

Yes.

answered 07 Sep '17, 12:21

Guy%20Harris's gravatar image

Guy Harris ♦♦
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accept rate: 19%