GPL许可协议及其传染性风险规避研究

Research on GPL license agreement and its infectious risk avoidance

GPL许可协议作为附条件解除的著作权许可合同,在尊重源代码著作权人对自己著作权权利让渡的基础上,亦规范了用户使用该源代码的方式。其中,“传染性”条款规定用户在使用源代码基础上的再开源义务,给源代码的商业使用带来了著作权侵权的法律风险。通过研究GPL许可协议的法律属性,明确了违反GPL许可协议及其传染性条款,不仅会构成著作权侵权责任与合同违约责任的竞合,还能成为其他用户使用、复制、传播其自研代码的侵权抗辩是由。此外,通过解读其“传染性”条款所涵盖的“纵向”与“横向”两个维度的再开源义务,总结出可分别通过避免代码的分发与输送、维持开放源代码的独立性、维护自研代码的独立性这三种方式以规避其“传染性”条款,避免开发者因使用传染型开源代码导致自身独立作品被“传染”带来的著作权侵权风险。

As a conditionally terminated copyright license contract,the GPL license agreement also regulates the way users use the source code on the basis of respecting the transfer of their own copyright rights by the source code copyright owner.Among them,the“infectiousness”clause stipulates the user's obligation to open source again based on the use of the source code,which brings the legal risk of copyright infringement to the commercial use of the source code.By studying the legal attributes of the GPL license agreement,this paper clarifies that violations of the GPL license agreement and its infectious clauses will not only constitute a conflict of copyright infringement liability and contract breach liability,but also become other users to use,copy,and disseminate its self-research.The defense of infringement of the code is caused.In addition,by interpreting the“vertical”and“horizontal”re-open source obligations covered by its“infectiousness”clause,it concludes that it can be achieved by avoiding code distribution and delivery,maintaining the independence of open source,and maintaining self-reliance.The three methods of researching code independence are to circumvent its“infectiousness”clause and avoid the risk of copyright infringement caused by the“infection”of independent works by developers due to the use of infectious open source code.