In a closed source proprietary web application, if I use an AGPL product in a sub-domain or in an iframe do I have to open-source my project?
If answer is no, is it possible that both applications can share the same database?
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3Ask your lawyer; this is a purely legal question, particular to your code, in an area of law that itself is largely untrammeled. If someone does yield an opinion for you here, they are unqualified to answer by definition.msw– msw2015-01-19 12:46:25 +00:00Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 12:46
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3In addition of your lawyer, you might also ask the authors of the AGPL product.Basile Starynkevitch– Basile Starynkevitch2015-01-19 12:51:42 +00:00Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 12:51
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6I think this may be off-topic because it is about legal issues & licensingBasile Starynkevitch– Basile Starynkevitch2015-01-19 12:57:30 +00:00Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 12:57
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@BasileStarynkevitch This question may not be off-topic because it about software licensing, which is explicitly on-topic.Dmitry Alexandrov– Dmitry Alexandrov2015-01-19 19:27:45 +00:00Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 19:27
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1@DmitryAlexandrov this one though, goes too far into the realm of legal advice in areas where the programmer is not qualified to answer. There is no material out there for us to draw from to give such - only lawyers can answer this question with authority.user40980– user409802015-01-19 22:06:25 +00:00Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 22:06
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1 Answer
IANAL, this is not legal advise. If you want to be sure, talk to a lawyer.
If you are offering a web-service that appears to be a single product, then it is likely that your users will treat it as such, regardless of how it is technically realized.
This means that if a sufficiently interested user tries to download the source of the site (to exercise his rights under the AGPL), you can expect a formal request to provide the sources for the proprietary part as well. And if you are unwilling to release them, possibly a lot of bad press and legal actions.
The scenario that you propose has not yet been extensively tested in a court of law, so even for a lawyer it will be hard to tell what your chances are.
The big question then is: Are you willing to risk it and perhaps become the case that establishes the case-law for the future?
answered Jan 19, 2015 at 13:19
Bart van Ingen Schenau
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Thanks, I will wait for a few days.Maybe somebody here has experienced this use case. If not I will accept this answer.rsa– rsa2015-01-19 13:34:00 +00:00Commented Jan 19, 2015 at 13:34