[Development] Adding Microsoft-licensed library in Qt Multimedia

Oswald Buddenhagen oswald.buddenhagen at theqtcompany.com
Wed Sep 16 17:18:49 CEST 2015


On Wed, Sep 16, 2015 at 02:34:49PM +0000, Lopes Yoann wrote:
> In order to improve and add missing features in the DirectShow Qt Multimedia backend, I’d like to include a third-party library in Qt, namely, the DirectShow Base Classes Library [1]. See link [2] for the patch adding it in Qt Multimedia.
> 
> I’m just not sure about the legal part. This library is only made available by Microsoft as source code in the Windows SDK samples. As such, it's covered by the Windows SDK End-User License Agreement. Here's the relevant part of it:
> 

> ·   for any Distributable Code having a filename extension of .lib, distribute only the results of running such Distributable Code through a linker with your application;
>
that may mean that we cannot distribute static binaries of that plugin,
as that would imply shipping the helper .lib. that is, unless we employ
ms lib's ability to link multiple static libs into a single static lib.
sounds like work. ^^

or it may be irrelevant, because ms is not distributing a .lib in the
first place ...

> iii. Distribution Restrictions.  You may not
> ·   modify or distribute the source code of any Distributable Code so that any part of it becomes subject to an Excluded License.  An Excluded License is one that requires, as a condition of use, modification or distribution, that
> ·   the code be disclosed or distributed in source code form; or
> ·   others have the right to modify it.
> 
ah, the good old ms. i think the express purpose of that clause is to
forbid usage in (l)gpl code, which means we would have to distribute at
least that plugin under BSD or proprietary only.

IANAL, etc. pp.




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