The osgART license model
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR RIGHT TO USE OSGART:
osgART is published in two editions; osgART Standard and osgART Professional.
Like ARToolKit, osgART is freely available for non-commercial use under the terms of the GNU General Public License. A proprietary version of osgART developed in parallel for professional commercial use by ARToolworks, Inc. is made available under different license terms, to suit end-user need.
We believe this model offers the best of both worlds. Persons developing their software under an open source model are freely availed of the osgART Standard Edition source code, and the osgART open source project benefits in return from enhancements, bug reports, and external development ideas. Those persons developing under a proprietary source model, from whom the osgART code base does not benefit through reciprocal openness, contribute financially instead. License fees fund research and development of today's and tomorrow's versions of the osgART through research activities at partner institutions.
The GPL-licensed osgART Standard Edition.:
osgART Standard Edition is a basic version of osgART and is freely licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL license. It includes an ARToolKit plugin and numerous examples which will guide you through from a simple video viewer to a animated, interactive AR application.osgART Standard Edition comes without support, but an active community of osgART users has already developed and joining this community is recommended for all osgART users. The osgART community website: http://www.artoolworks.com/community/osgart/
osgART Standard Edition version 1.0 is GPL-licensed. Please read the full text of the GPL prior to downloading and/or using the osgART Standard Edition source code. Your downloading and/or use of the code signifies acceptance of the terms and conditions of the license. If you are unable to comply with the license terms, please immediately destroy all copies of the code in your possession.
Please be aware that while the GPL allows you to freely use the source code, it also imposes certain restrictions on the ways in which you can use the code. Your attention is drawn particularly to section 2b of the GPL: "You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License.", i.e. your software incorporating or linking to osgART Standard Edition must also be open-source software, licensed under the GPL. Use of the osgART Standard Edition in breach of the terms of the GPL will be subject to legal action by the copyright holders.
The commercially-licensed osgART Professional Edition:
osgART Professional Edition is an advanced version of osgART with plugins for a variety of different tracking architectures including ARToolKit Professional and ARToolKit NFT, advanced video input plugins and support for a wide variety of high-end video sources, extended examples including advanced rendering techniques, and much more.Licenses for osgART Professional Edition are fee-bearing, but allow access to the advanced features and inclusion of osgART in propriety products.
Priority technical support, access to the osgART developers, and hot code fixes are available from ARToolworks, Inc.
osgART Professional Edition is the right product for professional and commercial use by persons for whom the GPL license terms are not ideal. License arrangements are managed by ARToolworks, Inc., Seattle, WA, USA. A variety of license types are available at reasonable cost. Please contact ARToolworks, Inc. directly for information on products, license terms, and pricing.
ARToolworks also provide a variety of value-added services, including professional support, customization and other modifications, and end-user turnkey applications.