[R] R Package License

[Marc Schwartz]

On Jul 17, 2013, at 10:56 AM, "Li, Yan" <Yan_Li at ibi.com> wrote:

> HI Helpers,
> 
> How could we use R and R packages licensed under GPL into commercial products? Is it allowed to load a library and get the results from it and using the results for commercial use? Thank you so much!
> 
> Regards,
> Yan


For R itself:

  http://cran.r-project.org/doc/FAQ/R-FAQ.html#Can-I-use-R-for-commercial-purposes_003f

With respect to the GPL more generally, you should review:

  http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html

and if you still have any questions, consult a lawyer. You will not get definitive legal advice here.

That being said, the GPL does not restrict the *use* of software or source code. It really only comes into play when copying/distributing GPL licensed software and if that is the scenario you are considering, then you should definitely get a lawyer specifically familiar with open source licensing and intellectual property rights.

There are however, some CRAN packages that do restrict commercial use (they are not GPL or compatible) and you should check to see if any of the packages that you are interested in using have such a restriction. In those cases, the actual use of the CRAN package is restricted.

Regards,

Marc Schwartz