Licensing your product on CC...

Being a marketplace for “Premium PHP Scripts” etc, when selling a ‘product’, as in a tool like a Newsletter System or Download Manager, not as in a PHP Class or Component etc, do you have to sell this ‘product’ as a piece of code that a developer can rebrand, or can you sell it under a license term whereby the product is bought as is and cannot be changed…?

If that makes sense…

For example, you could buy a newsletter system on here, rebrand it, add a couple more features and resell it to your clients and nobody would know any different – you’ve treated that newsletter system as a ‘PHP component’ – not a ‘product’.

If you were to download Photoshop or an iPhone App, add a few more features and resell it, you’d be infringing the developers copyright.

or for instance, it’s the same as if you could buy an ebook from Tutorials marketplace, added a few more pages to the ebook and then sold it on…?

So what licensing options are there on Codecanyon? Can you sell a file as a product or do you have to allow it to be reused?

quickandeasy said
If you were to download Photoshop or an iPhone App, add a few more features and resell it, you’d be infringing the developers copyright.

I think that CodeCanyon apply the same rights.

The single use license gives the purchaser the right to use the product (no matter whether it is a script, PSD , or “product” as you have defined it) exactly once. They can change it in any way they want – so they could use it for a client job without telling the client. However, if they want to use it again on another project, they would have to purchase an additional license. They do not have the right to redistribute it. Also, you retain copyright over all your work. There is no differentiation between a “product” and “component”, they are both equally protected.

The extended license option allows the purchaser to use the product they have purchased in a larger Work and redistribute it as many time as they like. The extended license is optional (per author).

The only exceptions to these license terms are situations like WordPress plugins (or themes on ThemeForest), where the PHP code is GPL by association. Still, they would not be able to resell copied code on this marketplace.

Hope that helps answer your question

sevenspark said
Hope that helps answer your question

Ahaa, that helps thanks =)

So if for instance you bought a ‘product’ on here, I’ll use the newsletter app again, and you used the script bought from here to create a subscription based web app, like Aweber or Mailchimp for example, they’d just have to buy an Extended license?

And if someone did do this, would the author still be able to say “woah, you can’t use my script like that, etc”

Because it’s not as though they are directly reselling the script, but in one way of looking at it, they are by charging people to use it?

I’m not planning to do this I’m just curious as to what the boundaries of the licensing are.

The basic rule is that for single licenses a buyer needs to purchase one license per installation – whether they change it or not is irrelevant.

The extended license is applicable:

1. When creating a larger Work for resale (as defined in the license terms)

2. When creating an application or service for use by others

So in your example, they’d need an extended license. As long as they are acting within the terms of the license and you have opted in to the extended license, you cannot restrict how they use the script.

You can read the full licensing terms here: http://codecanyon.net/wiki/support/legal-terms/licensing-terms/

Single Use refers to single use (per server or per client ) not per app or per script .
The scripts bought under single domain license can only be used to power your own or your client’s site and if you want use the script in 2 or more then 2 site you’ll have to go for Extended license or will have to purchase x single licenses and if you wana use it in a product which you are gonna sell then you’ll have to go for personal license .

cuteprince said
if you want use the script in 2 or more then 2 site you’ll have to go for Extended license or will have to purchase x single licenses

An extended license is not the same as a developer/multi-use license. The Extended License does not give the buyer the right to use the product on multiple sites, only to redistribute the product as part of a larger Work. 2 sites require 2 single use licenses (note: a developer/multi-use license may be in the works).

and if you wana use it in a product which you are gonna sell then you’ll have to go for personal license .

As far as I know, there are no Personal Licenses available for sale on CodeCanyon. I believe they only apply to audio, video, and ebooks/tutorials/screencasts. But the case you provided (“use in a product you’re selling”) is covered by the Extended License not the Personal License. You can review the licensing here: http://codecanyon.net/wiki/support/legal-terms/licensing-terms/

I’ll stick with Sevenspark on this thanks for your help, and thanks for your input cuteprince too =)

Easy to see where the confusion comes from though!