Licensing Artwork for Use with Open Source Software?

Posted by Cliff on Tuesday June 18, 2002 @08:30AM from the the-devil-is-in-the-(licensing)-details dept.

Bill Kendrick asks: "I've created numerous Open Source games for Linux in the past, and am currently working on a new title, "Tux Paint" (a drawing program for little kids). In creating Tux Paint, though, it will be necessary for me to get contributions of artwork and photographs. When asking the various sources I find for permission to use their work, I'll of course explain that the product is GPL. ...But how will the GPL license of the software affect their works? Is there some kind of dual-licensing I can do which says 'software is GPL, artwork is XYZ' (where 'XYZ' might be 'owned by original creator', 'now public domain', 'only available when used with this GPL'd product', etc)"

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depends on the project type by evalhalla · 2002-06-18 09:21 · Score: 2, Insightful

In my opinion you should consider this: your software can be used without the images or with different images?
If this is the case I believe that different licensing (software is GPL, artwork is XYZ) is just fine, on the contrary, if the actual images are an important part in the project, and it would be impossible (or very hard) to make a modified version of the program whithout manipulating the images you shoud have them under some GPL compatible licenze, either an adapded GPL or a FDL.