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Licensing InformationIMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DISTRIBUTING SOFTWARE FROM ARTIFEXIf you want to distribute Ghostscript® and MuPDF technology, you've come to the right place: Artifex is the exclusive commercial licensing agent for Ghostscript and MuPDF software. You should know that there is no "public domain" versions of Ghostscript or MuPDF. All versions of Ghostscript and MuPDF are provided under one of two licenses described below. If you plan to distribute Ghostscript or MuPDF, you should understand the differences between these licenses. The kind of distribution you plan to make of Ghostscript or MuPDF, as explained below, will determine whether you need a commercial license from Artifex. Please note that the following rules apply even if you ship a free demonstration version of your own product or application. An "application," as referenced below, can be any type of software product or application, tool, system or utility. VERSIONS OF GHOSTSCRIPT AND MUPDF ARE LICENSED UNDER TWO TYPES OF LICENSES.....1. Artifex Ghostscript or Artifex MuPDF. Artifex Ghostscript or Artifex MuPDF are any versions of Ghostscript or MuPDF licensed for commercial use and distribution under an Artifex Commercial License. Artifex is the exclusive commercial licensing agent for Ghostscript and MuPDF software. 2. GPL Ghostscript. GPL Ghostscript can be licensed under the GNU General Public License (the "GNU GPL"). IF YOUR ENTIRE APPLICATION IS LICENSED TO THE PUBLIC UNDER THE GNU GPL, YOU CAN DISTRIBUTE GPL GHOSTSCRIPT OR GPL MUPDF WITH YOUR APPLICATION WITHOUT A COMMERCIAL LICENSE . . .If your application, including all of its source code, is licensed to the public under the GPL, you are authorized to ship GPL Ghostscript or GPL MuPDF with your application under the terms of the GPL license agreement. You do not need a commercial license from Artifex. The terms of the GNU GPL include the requirement that your application be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties. Moreover, the entire application must be licensed to the public under the GNU GPL. IF YOUR APPLICATION IS NOT LICENSED TO THE PUBLIC UNDER THE GNU GPL AND YOU PLAN TO DISTRIBUTE ARTIFEX SOFTWARE. . .If your entire application (including its source code) is not licensed to the public under the GNU GPL, you are not authorized to ship GPL Ghostscript or GPL MuPDF with your application under the terms of the GNU GPL if any one of the following is true:
These criteria apply to your application as a whole. Even if only one section of your application satisfies one of these criteria, you are not authorized to ship GPL Ghostscript or GPL MuPDF with your application unless your application, including all of its source code, is licensed to the public under the GNU GPL. If your application (including its source code) is NOT licensed to the public under the GNU GPL and you intend to distribute Ghostscript or MuPDF to a third party for use with and usable by your application, you MUST first obtain a commercial license from Artifex. Examples of Distribution:Some examples of distribution requiring a commercial license include: 1. Distributing Ghostscript or MuPDF (or any component thereof) within your non-GNU GPL application. 2. Distributing Ghostscript or MuPDF on the same media with your non-GNU GPL application for use with and by your application with a common installation script. 3. Distributing Ghostscript or MuPDF embedded within hardware. DOES ARTIFEX RECOMMEND THE COMMERCIAL LICENSE?Artifex recommends that all commercial entities that wish to distribute Ghostscript enter into the Artifex Commercial License with Artifex. Not only does it free you from having to conform to the requirements and restrictions of the GPL licenses, but it also provides you with additional protections and rights, such as support. GPL Ghostscript is provided "AS-IS" without warranties or support of any kind. To obtain a copy of the GNU General Free Public License, please click here:GPLSTILL HAVE QUESTIONS? Please feel free to contact us at:
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