I have never read the PHP License before. But I'm surprised to read in The PHP Licence version 3.01 (the latest) that you cannot use the name "PHP" in your product name. But There are many scripts that use "PHP" in their name like phpmyadmin, phpbb, phpnuke, cakephp and many others. Are they all illegal ? do they have a written permission from group@php.net?
May be I have misunderstood! here is the text as-is from the PHP Licence:
I cannot understand it. Either people do not respect the PHP Licence or the PHP License has other meaning that I can't get it.
May be I have misunderstood! here is the text as-is from the PHP Licence:
Products derived from this software may not be called "PHP", nor may "PHP" appear in their name, without prior written permission from group@php.net. You may indicate that your software works in conjunction with PHP by saying "Foo for PHP" instead of calling it "PHP Foo" or "phpfoo"
I cannot understand it. Either people do not respect the PHP Licence or the PHP License has other meaning that I can't get it.
03 Feb 2006 17:26:06
[Products derived from this software may not be called "PHP"]
Scripts writtent with PHP are not concerned.
03 Feb 2006 21:35:05
Fuck 'em.
I doubt it's even legally enforceable.
02 Dec 2006 03:58:37
I doubt any judges would understand the laws and technology involved . ' OR ' '<> '<br>"
24 Aug 2007 14:39:40
Is a script a product? I think yes, so it must be illegal. But what about PHPnuke, PHPbb, PHPMyAdmin and all the other "applications" having included "PHP" in its name. Thanks for the hint. I'll rename all my scripts...
26 Oct 2007 09:46:21
I think this is enforceable, and probably they will start the hunting down with small scale vendors. But I think it is unlikely to attck well established and free applications like 'PHPMyAdmin' etc. This is same as macromedia (lately adobe0 copyrighted the term 'swf'.
22 Sep 2010 00:17:04
Well it depends a bit on your jurisdiction,
As for the whole European union, the whole nor may "PHP" appear in their name -clause is a tricky one. A haven't looked it up but PHP could well be a brand and if not it's a trademark.
As long as you do not market your product or script as if it's made by "PHP" instead of with the use of the programming language php your doing ok. That's also what the example is about. Foo PHP instead of PHPfoo. In a case before a court they will always use a theoretical well informed customer. If that theoretical well informed customer could have the impression that it's a product of "PHP" instead of a product made with the language, or meant for php your screwed.
Hope this clears things up for you lads.
cheers!
a programming Lawyer
31 Jan 2011 08:00:32
I think you guys might all be confused (including the lawyer, which is a tad funny). The PHP license as distributed with PHP has nothing to do with your applications written in the PHP language. Instead, it protects PHP itself (the compiler, interpreter and API). The operative term: "Products derived from this software"
This means that--for example--you can't compile PHP embedded, link it to your own software written in C, and then call your software PHPFoo. You can however write an application in the PHP language and then call that collection of scripts/whatever PHPFoo (as long as it's not distributed with PHP itself).
A real world example: Even though phpMyAdmin is written in the PHP language, it does not include PHP in it's distribution (either entirely or derived)... therefore it can be under any license it wants as well as be called whatever it wants.
Again, the PHP license DOES NOT cover independently written software that is written in part or full in the PHP language. It only covers PHP itself. Your software is your software. Period.
All of this would be like just because you compiled your C++ program with a GNU C++ compiler, your program had to be under the GNU license... which of course is silly.