this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2026
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In this case, sure, idk. I've had a project shut down because ffmpeg threatened law suits unless we open sourced our own custom libraries that work along side ffmpeg. And it's not just the source code, they want full build environments. Our lawyers wouldn't touch it, so we just shut it all down. Now I use gstreamer and avoid ffmpeg like the plague.
@CannonFodder @Neptr You were bundling LGPL source into your project. Their request was right, you were violating their license; if you had just used upstream FFmpeg by requiring systems to install it from the package i.e .deb dependency or downloading it directly from their releases and having their binary fully separate, you wouldn't have had any pushback.
It was an embedded system. The user wouldn't be able to download and install stuff, they just turn the thing on. The ffmpeg libraries were provided as is as separate files in the system.
If that's their policy, ok. But it means we can't use it in embedded systems.
As someone who likes to actually own and customise all my devices, devs like you are the bane of my existence. Read up on software licensing, and pay special attention to the history of its enforcement and what it enabled us. Then please reconsider your user hostile stance.
There's a time and place, no? You buy a $30k video switcher with support, do you really want to fuck with the internals or just get the company to add/fix features you need. It's impossible for the company to support you once you've fucked with the thing.
I understand open source - we use it and we contribute. But that doesn't mean we can open source all our code. We have competitors who would abuse that. If no one can make a living selling code, then there will be no one to support open source.