Using JasperReports in a commercial software

[2004 IR Help]

By: ColTi - colti

Using JasperReports in a commercial software

2005-12-04 08:55

Hi!

 

I'm working on a commercial software for restaurants and I'd like to use JasperReports for generating printable documents.

I use Launch4J to create a Windows executable from the applications JAR file, this makes much easier to install and launch the software. Launch4J has an opportunity to use a bundled JRE, so the user doesn't have to install the java runtime.

 

So my question is:

I know this (free) project is LGPL licensed, but can I use it in a commercial product, is anybody using it in a commecial project?

Can I put the JapserReports jar file into the lib directory of the bundled JRE and use the .EXE executable to launch the software, or does this kind of linking violate the LGPL license?

 

Maybe these are dumb questions, but I'm a newbie, so any reply would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, ColTi

 

 

 

 

By: Sherman Wood - sgwood

RE: Using JasperReports in a commercial softw

2005-12-04 20:52

 

If you do not change the JasperReports JARs, then you can safely include JasperReports into your commercial software. This is the whole point of the LGPL.

 

However, you really need to have your firm comfortable with this sort of use, so I would advise you to get your management involved and get some legal advice, so you know what you are getting into. A few anonymous people commenting on an open source forum does not make up for a legal opinion.

 

Sherman

JasperSoft

 

 

 

 

By: ColTi - colti

RE: Using JasperReports in a commercial software

2005-12-05 06:52

That's the answer I wanted to "hear" :)

 

Thank you very much for the qucik reply.

 

Regards, ColTi

 

 

 

 

By: ColTi - colti

RE: Using JasperReports in a commercial software

2005-12-06 04:28

Another (maybe) dumb question...

 

Does the LGPL license cover all the JasperReports features, I mean some functions like pdf export, html export, xml parsing, etc. uses external libraries like JAXP, or the jakarta common libraries...

 

So, can I use these features in a commercial software too?

 

Sorry for my bad English...

 

Regards, ColTi

 

 

 

 

By: Sherman Wood - sgwood

RE: Using JasperReports in a commercial softw

2005-12-07 18:57

 

If software uses a library like a JAR from jakarta commons, you need to watch the license of the JAR. If the license is "viral", like a GPL type license, then your code inherits at least some aspect of the license of the JAR. The LGPL and Apache licenses are non-viral - they do not force you to open source your code

 

In the case of JasperReports, the underlying libraries have been chosen so that JasperReports itself does not transfer viral license conditions. So as long as you do not change JasperReports or the underlying libraries, using them as-is, you can use JR without being forced to open source your code.

 

 

Sherman

JasperSoft

 

 

 

 

By: ColTi - colti

RE: Using JasperReports in a commercial software

2005-12-08 04:13

Thanks a lot again.

 

Regards, ColTi