.. title: OpenLP Now Licensed Under GPL Version 3
.. slug: 2019/05/01/openlp-now-licensed-under-gpl-version-3
.. date: 2019-05-01 08:00:00 UTC
.. tags: 
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.. previewimage: /cover-images/openlp-now-licensed-under-gpl-version-3.jpg

As of today, the 1st of May 2019, OpenLP is officially licensed under version 3 (or higher) of the `GNU General Public
License`_.

Simply put, we're updating to a newer version of the license we already use.

Does this affect me?
--------------------
People reading this blog post will no doubt be asking themselves, "does this affect me?" and the answer depends on what
your role within OpenLP is.

End user
~~~~~~~~
If you're an end user, someone who downloaded and installed OpenLP and is using it in your church, youth group, Bible
study, or somewhere else, this change does not affect you. Your freedoms remain the same, you can still use it
whenever, wherever and however you want. You can still give OpenLP away to as many people as you want, without needing
to obtain permission (the license expressly gives you permission to do this). This newer version of the license ensures
your freedoms the same way the old version did, but adapted to a newer age of technology.

Developer
~~~~~~~~~
In many ways, this change does not affect people contributing to OpenLP either. From today onward, however, your
contributions to OpenLP will be covered by version 3 (or higher) of the GNU GPL.

Do I need to do anything?
-------------------------
No, this is just a change to how we the developers are licensing OpenLP. You don't need to do anything.

Why the change?
---------------
Version 2 of the GPL was sufficient for many years, but many of the libraries and projects that OpenLP uses have moved
forward, not only in code but also in licenses. With this in mind, OpenLP had to change our license to be compliant
with the licenses of the libaries and project we use.

.. _GNU General Public License: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html
