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I have been thinking about using 3rd party GPL based jQuery controls in our in-house ASP.NET project. As far as the 3rd party license is concerned, I think I can use any jQuery controls in my application as long as they are compatible with the GPL license.

jQuery itself is released under the MIT license. The 3rd party library is what introduces the GPL (not LGPL) license concerns.

Do I need to mention any where in my application saying that we have been using GPL licensed controls? License information is already there in the .js files.

Do I need to give the source code of my software away? This is an in house ASP.NET web application; published on our own server; and only for internal users.

Steve Dyson
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As jquery is a Javascript library that gets executed on the client machines, using it in a public-facing website can be seen as distribution of the code.
When you distribute GPL licensed code, you must make the entire application open-source under the GPL or a compatible license.

If my assessment of the Javascript code being distributed when used in a website is wrong, then there is definitely no problem with using it in a closed-source web-app, but I would recommend consulting a lawyer before depending on it.

Anyway, your situation is different. As your web-app is an in-house application that you are developing on behalf of your employer, giving the code to fellow employees is not considered distribution under any circumstance, as the code doesn't leave the organisation.
For that reason, using the GPL controls in your in-house application is fine, as long as the application remains in-house.

Bart van Ingen Schenau
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No. You are not distributing your software, as you control the only server it will be installed on, and the GPL only places any requirements on you if you distribute to a third party.

If you were to use AGPL components, that may require you to distribute the source code, but as it is only to your company's employees that you would be required to distribute it, this is unlikely to be too onerous.

Jules
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