What is the licensing model for Gurux products
(=software and components)?
At Gurux Ltd, we use "dual licensing". This means that the users of our products may choose between free software/open source GNU General Public License (commonly known as the "GPL") and commercial license.

With the GPL license, Gurux products are available free of charge, as long as they are used according to the terms of the GPL license. Users may download the products for free, and modify, integrate, and distribute them. However, GPL users must abide by the rules of the GPL, if redistributing any applications based on Gurux products. This means that the complete source code for the application must also be open, and available for redistribution.

For organizations, who do not want to release the source code for their application, Gurux Ltd offers a commercial license. After obtaining a commercial license, the customer receives a commercially supported product, with certain commitments from Gurux Ltd. These customers do not have the obligation to publish the source code of their applications based on Gurux products.
Gurux Ltd is able to provide this commercial license, because it has the full ownership of the Gurux code.

Dual-licensing increases freedom in two ways. First, it encourages the growth of free software by licensing Gurux products under the GPL. And second, it makes it possible to use the products also in situations, where the GPL is not applicable.

Why does Gurux offer two licenses?
Dual-licensing supports the company mission: to make device communication faster and more realiabe to all, including the users, who traditionally could not afford expensive proprietary device communication tools. This way dual-licensing creates an opportunity for Gurux Ltd to give back to the community.
The dual-licensing business model is a "win-win" for all parties:

• Open Source community of Gurux Ltd gets superior software for no cost
• Commercial customers of Gurux Ltd have the option of using reliable, community "battle-tested" Gurux software for a relatively low cost

For more complete guidelines on the GPL and commercial license for Gurux products, please, contact Gurux Ltd.

Do I get the same Gurux software under either license?
Yes. The Gurux product is essentially identical under both GPL license and commercial license. In some cases, there are minor differences in the support libraries, due to incompatibilities between the licenses of the libraries and Gurux.

With a commercial license option, is Gurux still an "open source" company?
Yes, Gurux Ltd still is an open source company, and is completely committed to the open source values and philosophy. We, at Gurux Ltd, believe that the open source model of development, and distribution, is the most efficient way to produce high-quality software. All Gurux products are offered under both open source and commercial license terms.

Are other companies using the dual-licensing business model?
The dual-licensing business model is becoming increasingly popular among open source companies, as it promotes long-term financial viability. Other companies that offer dual-licensing include MySQL AB, SugarCRM, Trolltech, Zimbra, and others.

Where can I read more about GPL?
You can read more answers to Frequently Asked Questions at the GNU GPL at the Free Software Foundation's web site: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html