Hosting GPL themes, licensing, links to my blog, themefores

You can promote non GPL themes on your site (or rather, no one can stop you). Technically, those themes are STILL GPL, though, if they require WP but that isn’t the poitn ??

All themes and plugins hosted on WP.org must be GPL compliant. That’s all. So if your themes and plugins here are GPL okay, you’re fine.

What you do elsewhere is outside their purview.

Ok so basically I can host themes and plugins on www.ads-software.com and promote my blog. Then I can put whatever I want on my blog as long as the themes and plugins I host on www.ads-software.com are completely free under the GPL?

This is where I got confused:
https://www.ads-software.com/extend/themes/about/

• “If you want your theme to be proprietary or promote things that violate WordPress’ license on your site, the directory probably isn’t the best home for your work.”
• “Themes from sites that support non-GPL (or compatible) themes or violate the WordPress community guidelines themes will not be approved.”

Themes from sites that support non-GPL (or compatible) themes or violate the WordPress community guidelines themes will not be approved.

That means don’t ALSO post the same theme on a non-GPL place or elsewhere with a NON-GPL license.

So I should not have any problems then.

Ok thanks Ipstenu for clearing that for me! ??

Hi there,

1) A question about naming a theme:
If I make a child theme of for example Twenty Eleven, redesign the whole theme but keep the functionality. Can I name my theme something like
Twenty Eleven Alternative Style or Twenty Eleven New Line or something that keeps the original name?

2) if I host a theme here at WP.org can I host it on another site as well? I will make sure that this other site release it under the GPL completely for free? Or if I host it here I have to host it no where else?

Thanks.

1. Yes.

2. Yes – you can host the theme on your site as well as WP.org.

1 – You can name it anything you like. But still give credit where credit is due, you’re starting off with work that you did not wholly create.

Being able to modify code is what the GPL is about but the other people who have writen that code deserve recognition.

2 – If it’s GPL code then yes, you can host it anywhere you like as long as you don’t violate the GPL. Requiring people to host their themes here and only here would definitely the GPL. ?? Host away.

Now if you do host here, then users of that theme will get update notifications when you provide updates. It’s one of the benefits of having your GPL’ed theme or plugin hosted on www.ads-software.com

Edit: Darn it! Esmi beat me to it! *sips more coffee*

1. I will definitely write in the description the original theme name and a link to it! Also what have been modified and what I have used directly from their theme.
I will also write an article on my blog and include links to the original theme too.
Is this fine?

Exactly what is and what isn’t acceptable is determined by the Theme Review Guidelines and the theme review team. New themes that are derived from pre-existing themes tend to be judged on a case-by-case basis.

The article on your blog is a good idea. In fact, theme developers are encouraged to provide a url (via the Theme Url tag) on one of their own sites where potential users can look for supplemental information, faqs and possibly even support for your theme.

If in doubt, you can always ask the theme review team directly before you submit your theme via https://make.www.ads-software.com/themes/about/how-to-join-wptrt/ Also check your theme against https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Theme_Review and using https://www.ads-software.com/extend/plugins/theme-check/

Good luck ??

Many thanks! ??

That means don’t ALSO post the same theme on a non-GPL place or elsewhere with a NON-GPL license.

This is one of the less-fun parts of the Theme Review process. Given WPORG policy, we do check Theme URI and Author URI, and will not allow Theme submissions from developers who distribute or promote non-GPL-compliant Themes on Theme URI or Author URI.

Themeforest is a bit of a gray area in this respect, but the current stance is that promotion of Themeforest Themes falls on the wrong side of this requirement.

I will definitely write in the description the original theme name and a link to it! Also what have been modified and what I have used directly from their theme.

This is all fine, but doesn’t technically meet the requirements for proper copyright notice/license declaration. The proper place for this notice/declaration is in an appropriate file header in the package, which for WordPress Themes is generally accepted to be the style.css file. Per GNU, proper copyright notice/license declaration looks something like the following:

Awesome Derivative WordPress Theme, Copyright 2012 Petarg

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify     it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by     the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or     (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,     but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of     MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License     along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

For a derivative Theme, you should include the original copyright attribution. For example, replace the first line:

Awesome Derivative WordPress Theme, Copyright 2012 Petarg

…with something like this:

Awesome Derivative WordPress Theme, Copyright 2012 Petarg

Awesome Derivative WordPress Theme is derived from Parent Theme, Copyright 2010 Parent Theme Developer, and is released under the terms of the GNU GPL, Version 2.0.

Just a note: while attribution is desirable and admirable, all public-facing links must be your own.

Well not really:

Themes from sites that support non-GPL (or compatible) themes or violate the WordPress community guidelines themes will not be approved.

means that your theme will NOT be accepted. We have developed free theme and it was rejected because Theme URI was of ait-themes.com and Author URI was https://www.ait-themes.com.

After several discussion emails back and forth we gave up.

Chip, I stand corrected. I’m more used to the plugin end, where it’s not enforced what you do on your site, unless you’re shown to break policies.

AitThemes – That’s what Chip said:

Given WPORG policy, we do check Theme URI and Author URI, and will not allow Theme submissions from developers who distribute or promote non-GPL-compliant Themes on Theme URI or Author URI.

I am getting different answers from different people, form the forum and form the theme reviewers mailing list ??

1) As I understand correctly if I submit a plugin on www.ads-software.com it is up to me what I promote on my site?

2) And if I submit a theme on www.ads-software.com I can promote only GPL themes on my site?

Two cases so I know what to host on my blog and what not to host there.

Case one:
I have a blog and I promote there themeforest.net
I submit a theme and a plugin on www.ads-software.com
2) Will the theme be accepted?
3) Will the plugin be accepted?

Case two:
I have a blog and I promote there woothemes.com
I submit a theme and a plugin on www.ads-software.com
4) Will the theme be accepted?
5) Will the plugin be accepted?

I really want to contribute but I need to know what I am allowed to do so I don’t waist my time developing and reviewers time reviewing.

Thanks.

Listen to Chip but as I understand it…
1. Yes
2. You can only promote GPL themes on the pages that you use for the Theme Url and Author Url in your submitted theme

Case One:
2. No
3. Yes

Case two:
4. Not sure. I think Woothemes are GPL but check with the theme-review team for the definitive answer on this.
5. Yes