The Aladdin Free Public License, first used as a license for Ghostscript (the AFPL-licensed version is known as AFPL Ghostscript). Developed by Aladdin Enterprises.

The license permits the program licensed under it to be redistributed freely as long as certain conditions are met.

While these conditions are easily met by individuals, the intention of the license is to prohibit commercial use of the program (or any portion of it). The license allows evaluation or unsupported internal use in a company, but companies wishing to distribute it need to obtain a seperate license from the copyright holder, typically for a licensing fee.

This license is being used in an innovative way by TransGaming's subscription plan.

The license itself follows:


Aladdin Free Public License (Version 9, September 18, 2000)

Copyright (C) 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Aladdin Enterprises, Menlo Park, California, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

NOTE: This License is not the same as any of the GNU Licenses published by the Free Software Foundation. Its terms are substantially different from those of the GNU Licenses. If you are familiar with the GNU Licenses, please read this license with extra care.

Aladdin Enterprises hereby grants to anyone the permission to apply this License to their own work, as long as the entire License (including the above notices and this paragraph) is copied with no changes, additions, or deletions except for changing the first paragraph of Section 0 to include a suitable description of the work to which the license is being applied and of the person or entity that holds the copyright in the work, and, if the License is being applied to a work created in a country other than the United States, replacing the first paragraph of Section 6 with an appropriate reference to the laws of the appropriate country.

This License is not an Open Source license: among other things, it places restrictions on distribution of the Program, specifically including sale of the Program. While Aladdin Enterprises respects and supports the philosophy of the Open Source Definition, and shares the desire of the GNU project to keep licensed software freely redistributable in both source and object form, we feel that Open Source licenses unfairly prevent developers of useful software from being compensated proportionately when others profit financially from their work. This License attempts to ensure that those who receive, redistribute, and contribute to the licensed Program according to the Open Source and Free Software philosophies have the right to do so, while retaining for the developer(s) of the Program the power to make those who use the Program to enhance the value of commercial products pay for the privilege of doing so.

0. Subject Matter

This License applies to the computer program known as "AFPL Ghostscript." The "Program", below, refers to such program. The Program is a copyrighted work whose copyright is held by artofcode LLC, located in Benicia, California (the "Licensor"). Please note that AFPL Ghostscript is neither the program known as "GNU Ghostscript" nor the version of Ghostscript available for commercial licensing from Artifex Software Inc.

A "work based on the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work of the Program, as defined in the United States Copyright Act of 1976, such as a translation or a modification.

BY MODIFYING OR DISTRIBUTING THE PROGRAM (OR ANY WORK BASED ON THE PROGRAM), YOU INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS LICENSE TO DO SO, AND ALL ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTING OR MODIFYING THE PROGRAM OR WORKS BASED ON IT. NOTHING OTHER THAN THIS LICENSE GRANTS YOU PERMISSION TO MODIFY OR DISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM OR ITS DERIVATIVE WORKS. THESE ACTIONS ARE PROHIBITED BY LAW. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, DO NOT MODIFY OR DISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM.

1. Licenses.

Licensor hereby grants you the following rights, provided that you comply with all of the restrictions set forth in this License and provided, further, that you distribute an unmodified copy of this License with the Program:

  • (a)

    You may copy and distribute literal (i.e., verbatim) copies of the Program's source code as you receive it throughout the world, in any medium.

  • (b)

    You may modify the Program, create works based on the Program and distribute copies of such throughout the world, in any medium.

2. Restrictions.

This license is subject to the following restrictions:

If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering the equivalent ability to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent ability to copy the source code from the same place counts as distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not compelled to copy the source code along with the object code.

3. Reservation of Rights.

No rights are granted to the Program except as expressly set forth herein. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this License. However, parties who have received copies, or rights, from you under this License will not have their licenses terminated so long as such parties remain in full compliance.

4. Other Restrictions.

If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in certain countries for any reason, Licensor may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation excluding those countries, so that distribution is permitted only in or among countries not thus excluded. In such case, this License incorporates the limitation as if written in the body of this License.

5. Limitations.

THE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS," WITHOUT WARRANTY. THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL LICENSOR, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

6. General.

This License is governed by the laws of the State of California, U.S.A., excluding choice of law rules.

If any part of this License is found to be in conflict with the law, that part shall be interpreted in its broadest meaning consistent with the law, and no other parts of the License shall be affected.

For United States Government users, the Program is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. If you are a unit or agency of the United States Government or are acquiring the Program for any such unit or agency, the following apply:

If the unit or agency is the Department of Defense ("DOD"), the Program and its documentation are classified as "commercial computer software" and "commercial computer software documentation" respectively and, pursuant to DFAR Section 227.7202, the Government is acquiring the Program and its documentation in accordance with the terms of this License. If the unit or agency is other than DOD, the Program and its documentation are classified as "commercial computer software" and "commercial computer software documentation" respectively and, pursuant to FAR Section 12.212, the Government is acquiring the Program and its documentation in accordance with the terms of this License.

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