Does commercial use of GhostScript as a Saas license?
I was working on a project. In which the user can download the PDF and convert it to images and so I used the GhostScript dll (gsdll32.dll). Now in my application, I want to charge users as a monthly subscription so that I can give them more options.
But I have no knowledge of licensing terms and ghostscript tears and terms. So I need to purchase any Or related license, is there any other free C # library that can be used to process PDF that I can use in commercial applications without getting a license?
Ok, I prefer any free C # library to consider (Premium Saas or Direct Selling Applications).
Thank. If anyone has real time experience, please help me.
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I'm not a lawyer. You should get it if you are concerned about potential legal issues.
Is GhostScript as Saas commercially required?
Well, first of all, you need a license to use any software (other than one that is in the public domain) in some way.
As for Ghostscript, Artifex now offers it: a) GNU Affero GPL , which is a license for free / libre software ; b) a non-free / proprietary license that Artifex calls a "commercial license". But it's called "commercial" because I think Atrifex makes money from it, definitely not because it's the only way to use Ghostscript to make a profit.
Any free software license, including the GNU AGPL, by definition gives you, as soon as you receive a copy of the software, the right to use it for commercial purposes, including selling it; but you must of course strictly abide by the terms of this license. The key point of the GNU AGPL is a strong copyleft license. This means that you must make all of your Ghostscript based software product under the GNU AGPL, which in turn obliges you to provide your customers (including SaaS customers) with appropriate sources for your product and provide they allow (0) use of it for any purpose, (1) redistribute it, (2) modify and (3) distribute modifications; all in accordance with the GNU AGPL.
So no , you are not getting a commercial license from Artifex to use Ghostscript in your application. But if you don't give these four freedoms to your users, then yes , you'd better contact Artifex and ask them for a price.
By the way, Artifex is not a pioneer of this copyleft / proprietary bi-licensing practice, it has been known for many years .
And why did I say "at the moment. Not so long ago, up to version 9.06 (inclusive), the free / libre license of Ghostscript was not the GNU Affero GPL, but the usual GNU GPL (see the license files doc/COPYING
in the original archives for proof), which is not much more permissive - it does not oblige to grant any permissions to users who interact with your software via the client-server protocol over the network, but do not have a copy (which I mean, according to SaaS). Users who bought a copy are all should get it under the GNU GPL anyway.
Version 9.06 is definitely not too old - are now provided in the test version of Debian. You can use it.
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