Dear Sonya Gibbons of the UOIT,

This is Martin Owens, board member for the inkscape. I can answer your questions and I have forwarded this message for record to the inkscape board mailing list.

The Inkscape software is a "Free Software" licensed program which gives to you and everyone these fundamental freedoms:

1. To use the software for any reason, absolutely, without restriction for any reason.

2. The freedom to study and modify the software to change it to do what you want.

3. The freedom to distribute copies of the program to anyone for any reason. Including for profit.

4. The freedom to distribute your changes of the program to anyone.

More details can be found here: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw. en.html

The Inkscape project is specifically licensed under the GPLv2 which has some requirements. These are that you can not change the license, you MUST share your changes back to the community, so if you make a modified inkscape, you must provide the source code. See full details of the license here: https://inkscape.org/en/about/license/

See more below...

UOIT has transitioned several of our Faculties to a bring your own device environment (BYOD) while other Faculties will be continuing in our institutionally owned laptop program for 2017-18. With a mixed environment, we would like to make software available in labs to facilitate students who may not have a capable laptop or who are taking electives in a program where software that is not eligible for deployment to a student owned computer is required.

Could you please provide feedback for the questions below? In each scenario, we are referring to UOIT’s existing software license.

1. We would like to make your software available on lab

machines that are in locations (such as our Library) which, while not our intent, could potentially be accessed by students from Durham College. UOIT and Durham College are separate entities that are both located on the same site. We do not have a feasible way of restricting access to UOIT students only since some of the data used for authentication is similar between UOIT and Durham College students. Does UOIT’s existing license permit us to install your software in this type of scenario where we cannot restrict access to UOIT students only? Please note that the general public are not able to access the software.

You mention the UOIT's license, but the only license that applies to Inkscape software is the GPLv2 as mentioned above. Can you confirm that the license you have been given for Inkscape is the GPL and let us know if there has been any re-licensing of the software.

2. Under UOIT’s existing license, do we need to restrict

access to the software to students and faculty members in specific programs, Departments or Faculties?

No. Inkscape can be used by anyone. The only restrictions are the ones that you wish to place as owners and operators of the computer labs.

3. Is there a requirement to prevent the general public from

accessing your software on our lab machines? As noted above, we do restrict access from the general public and plan to continue restricting access.

No. Inkscape can be used by and distributed freely to any member of the public. We encourage you to give copies of the software to students and the public.

4. UOIT has two locations which are both located in Oshawa

Ontario, Canada. Does UOIT’s existing software license permit deployment of your software to labs in both locations? Is there a limit to the number of sites and UOIT lab machines where the software can be installed?

You have permission to deploy Inkscape anywhere for any reason. See above.

5. As noted above, our students are in a mixed BYOD and

institutionally owned laptop program. Does making your software available in a lab substitute our permission to install to laptops or can it be used to complement existing deployment?

Inkscape can be used on any computer it'll run on. It's not guaranteed to work on all computers, but you have no restrictions on it's deployment.

I hope these answered your questions about the License for Inkscape.

Best Regards, Martin Owens Inkscape Website Administrator and Board Member.