mirror of https://git.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.git
127 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
127 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
# License
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Most files in FFmpeg are under the GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1
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or later (LGPL v2.1+). Read the file `COPYING.LGPLv2.1` for details. Some other
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files have MIT/X11/BSD-style licenses. In combination the LGPL v2.1+ applies to
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FFmpeg.
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Some optional parts of FFmpeg are licensed under the GNU General Public License
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version 2 or later (GPL v2+). See the file `COPYING.GPLv2` for details. None of
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these parts are used by default, you have to explicitly pass `--enable-gpl` to
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configure to activate them. In this case, FFmpeg's license changes to GPL v2+.
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Specifically, the GPL parts of FFmpeg are:
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- libpostproc
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- optional x86 optimization in the files
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- `libavcodec/x86/flac_dsp_gpl.asm`
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- `libavcodec/x86/idct_mmx.c`
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- `libavfilter/x86/vf_removegrain.asm`
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- libutvideo encoding/decoding wrappers in `libavcodec/libutvideo*.cpp`
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- the X11 grabber in `libavdevice/x11grab.c`
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- the following building and testing tools
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- `compat/solaris/make_sunver.pl`
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- `doc/t2h.pm`
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- `doc/texi2pod.pl`
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- `libswresample/swresample-test.c`
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- `tests/checkasm/*`
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- `tests/tiny_ssim.c`
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- the following filters in libavfilter:
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- `f_ebur128.c`
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- `vf_blackframe.c`
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- `vf_boxblur.c`
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- `vf_colormatrix.c`
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- `vf_cover_rect.c`
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- `vf_cropdetect.c`
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- `vf_delogo.c`
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- `vf_eq.c`
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- `vf_find_rect.c`
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- `vf_fspp.c`
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- `vf_geq.c`
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- `vf_histeq.c`
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- `vf_hqdn3d.c`
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- `vf_interlace.c`
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- `vf_kerndeint.c`
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- `vf_mcdeint.c`
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- `vf_mpdecimate.c`
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- `vf_owdenoise.c`
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- `vf_perspective.c`
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- `vf_phase.c`
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- `vf_pp.c`
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- `vf_pp7.c`
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- `vf_pullup.c`
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- `vf_repeatfields.c`
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- `vf_sab.c`
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- `vf_smartblur.c`
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- `vf_spp.c`
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- `vf_stereo3d.c`
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- `vf_super2xsai.c`
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- `vf_tinterlace.c`
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- `vf_uspp.c`
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- `vsrc_mptestsrc.c`
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Should you, for whatever reason, prefer to use version 3 of the (L)GPL, then
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the configure parameter `--enable-version3` will activate this licensing option
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for you. Read the file `COPYING.LGPLv3` or, if you have enabled GPL parts,
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`COPYING.GPLv3` to learn the exact legal terms that apply in this case.
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There are a handful of files under other licensing terms, namely:
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* The files `libavcodec/jfdctfst.c`, `libavcodec/jfdctint_template.c` and
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`libavcodec/jrevdct.c` are taken from libjpeg, see the top of the files for
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licensing details. Specifically note that you must credit the IJG in the
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documentation accompanying your program if you only distribute executables.
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You must also indicate any changes including additions and deletions to
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those three files in the documentation.
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* `tests/reference.pnm` is under the expat license.
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## External libraries
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FFmpeg can be combined with a number of external libraries, which sometimes
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affect the licensing of binaries resulting from the combination.
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### Compatible libraries
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The following libraries are under GPL:
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- frei0r
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- libcdio
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- librubberband
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- libutvideo
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- libvidstab
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- libx264
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- libx265
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- libxavs
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- libxvid
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When combining them with FFmpeg, FFmpeg needs to be licensed as GPL as well by
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passing `--enable-gpl` to configure.
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The OpenCORE and VisualOn libraries are under the Apache License 2.0. That
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license is incompatible with the LGPL v2.1 and the GPL v2, but not with
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version 3 of those licenses. So to combine these libraries with FFmpeg, the
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license version needs to be upgraded by passing `--enable-version3` to configure.
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### Incompatible libraries
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There are certain libraries you can combine with FFmpeg whose licenses are not
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compatible with the GPL and/or the LGPL. If you wish to enable these
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libraries, even in circumstances that their license may be incompatible, pass
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`--enable-nonfree` to configure. But note that if you enable any of these
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libraries the resulting binary will be under a complex license mix that is
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more restrictive than the LGPL and that may result in additional obligations.
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It is possible that these restrictions cause the resulting binary to be
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unredistributable.
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The Fraunhofer FDK AAC and OpenSSL libraries are under licenses which are
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incompatible with the GPLv2 and v3. To the best of our knowledge, they are
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compatible with the LGPL.
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The FAAC library is incompatible with all versions of GPL and LGPL.
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The NVENC library, while its header file is licensed under the compatible MIT
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license, requires a proprietary binary blob at run time, and is deemed to be
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incompatible with the GPL. We are not certain if it is compatible with the
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LGPL, but we require `--enable-nonfree` even with LGPL configurations in case
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it is not.
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