License question

[jaquevagon]

Hi,

I am looking into building a commercial JUCE plugin but I would like to also use CMake, so I found this repo. But now I'm unsure how this works regarding your license (GPL).
If I generate my plugin's cmake file using FRUT, the generated file will include the Reprojucer.cmake which has a GPL license comment at the top.
Does this mean I would have to open source my plugin's cmake file as well?

Best,
Jaques

[TheSlowGrowth]

According to this FAQ entry the GPL only covers the tools themselves and their source code, not the content/files/programs you generate using those tools.

The CMake file that is generated by Jucer2Reproducer only controls the build process but is not a part of the actual build output. So you wouldn't have to open-source your plugin or the cmake file.

However, things are more complicated for the BinaryData.cpp files. These were also generated by a FRUT executable and directly end up in the build output. I am not exactly sure here, but to my knowledge your generated BinaryData.cpp is not covered by the GPL because it doesn't contain any code from the tools that made it.

[McMartin]

Hi @jaquevagon,

Welcome to FRUT! Thank you for considering using it.

I would like to add a few points to @TheSlowGrowth's reply.

• The fact that Jucer2Reprojucer, BinaryDataBuilder, and IconBuilder are licensed under GPLv3 doesn't impose any license on the files that they generate. This means that the generated CMakeLists.txt, BinaryData.{cpp,h}, and Icon.icns/icon.ico files, respectively, are not automatically under GPLv3 (as explained in https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#GPLOutput).

• Since your plugin won't include or link against any GPLv3 code from FRUT, you don't have to distribute your plugin under the GPLv3. Thus, you don't have to open-source the scripts used to build it.

• If you do decide (for whatever reason) to distribute a CMakeLists.txt file that includes Reprojucer.cmake, then you'll have to license that CMakeLists.txt file under a license that is GPLv3-compatible, but it doesn't have to be GPLv3 itself.

I hope this clarifies a few things for you. I'm looking forward to helping you with any issue that you might encounter when using FRUT. Cheers!