Intellectual Property

[ashgenoa]

I'm wondering if a plugin is created, can one own intellectual property (ie: a patent) on that plugin and if so, are there any restrictions? for example would CloudCompare own the rights to use it or distribute it as a feature? or maybe you'd not be allowed to access certain parts of its code even though it's open source. Any info would be appreciated!

[daniel]

Well, I believe a "software" patent, for the countries that recognize that, would be more on the algorithm than on the code.

But anyway, the author of the plugin is the full owner of the plugin code (apart for the common interfaces and headers of course). And you are free to distribute or sell it. And we don't have any right on this plugin.

Plugins are in a grey area with respect to the GPL license. But CloudCompare is GPL and this is where you will get some limitations (e.g. if one wants to distribute a private plugin bundled with CloudCompare for instance). It's easier to let people download and install CloudCompare, and then add then install/copy the plugin to the 'plugins' folder.

[ashgenoa]

Thank you, one more thing - what are the limitations/restrictions of GPL when it comes to plugins? or where can I find that information?

[jedfrechette]

The Free Software Foundation maintains a quite extensive FAQ based on their interpretation of the license.

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html