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This section describes MySQL support and licensing arrangements. 1.4.1 Support Offered by MySQL ABTechnical support from MySQL AB means individualized answers to your unique problems direct from the software engineers who code the MySQL database engine. We try to take a broad and inclusive view of technical support. Almost any problem involving MySQL software is important to us if it's important to you. Typically customers seek help on how to get different commands and utilities to work, remove performance bottlenecks, restore crashed systems, understand the impact of operating system or networking issues on MySQL, set up best practices for backup and recovery, utilize APIs, and so on. Our support covers only the MySQL server and our own utilities, not third-party products that access the MySQL server, although we try to help with these where we can. Detailed information about our various support options is given at http://www.mysql.com/support/, where support contracts can also be ordered online. To contact our sales staff, send email to sales@mysql.com. Technical support is like life insurance. You can live happily without it for years . However, when your hour arrives, it becomes critically important, but it's too late to buy it. If you use MySQL Server for important applications and encounter sudden difficulties, it may be too time-consuming to figure out all the answers yourself. You may need immediate access to the most experienced MySQL troubleshooters available, those employed by MySQL AB. 1.4.2 Copyrights and Licenses Used by MySQLMySQL AB owns the copyright to the MySQL source code, the MySQL logos and trademarks, and this manual. See Section 1.3, "Overview of MySQL AB." Several different licenses are relevant to the MySQL distribution:
For information about how the MySQL licenses work in practice, please refer to Section 1.4.3, "MySQL Licenses," and Section 1.4.4, "MySQL AB Logos and Trademarks." 1.4.3 MySQL LicensesThe MySQL software is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which is probably the best known Open Source license. The formal terms of the GPL license can be found at http://www.fsf.org/licenses/. See also http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html and http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/enforcing-gpl.html. Our GPL licensing is supported by an optional license exception that enables many Free/Libre and Open Source Software ("FLOSS") applications to include the GPL-licensed MySQL client libraries despite the fact that not all FLOSS licenses are compatible with the GPL. For details, see http://www.mysql.com/products/licensing/foss-exception.html. Because the MySQL software is released under the GPL, it may often be used for free, but for certain uses you may want or need to buy commercial licenses from MySQL AB at https ://order.mysql.com/. See http://www.mysql.com/products/licensing.html for more information. Older versions of MySQL (3.22 and earlier) are subject to a stricter license (http://www.mysql.com/products/mypl.html). See the documentation of the specific version for information. Please note that the use of the MySQL software under commercial license, GPL, or the old MySQL license does not automatically give you the right to use MySQL AB trademarks. See Section 1.4.4, "MySQL AB Logos and Trademarks." 1.4.3.1 Using the MySQL Software Under a Commercial LicenseThe GPL license is contagious in the sense that when a program is linked to a GPL program, all the source code for all the parts of the resulting product must also be released under the GPL. If you do not follow this GPL requirement, you break the license terms and forfeit your right to use the GPL program altogether. You also risk damages. You need a commercial license under these conditions:
Our GPL licensing is supported by an optional license exception that enables many Free/Libre and Open Source Software ("FLOSS") applications to include the GPL-licensed MySQL client libraries despite the fact that not all FLOSS licenses are compatible with the GPL. For details, see http://www.mysql.com/products/licensing/foss-exception.html. If you require a commercial license, you will need one for each installation of the MySQL software. This covers any number of CPUs on a machine, and there is no artificial limit on the number of clients that connect to the server in any way. For commercial licenses, please visit our Web site at http://www.mysql.com/products/licensing.html. For support contracts, see http://www.mysql.com/support/. If you have special needs, please contact our sales staff via email at sales@mysql.com. 1.4.3.2 Using the MySQL Software for Free Under GPLYou can use the MySQL software for free under the GPL if you adhere to the conditions of the GPL. For additional details about the GPL, including answers to common questions, see the generic FAQ from the Free Software Foundation at http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html. Our GPL licensing is supported by an optional license exception that enables many Free/Libre and Open Source Software ("FLOSS") applications to include the GPL-licensed MySQL client libraries despite the fact that not all FLOSS licenses are compatible with the GPL. For details, see http://www.mysql.com/products/licensing/foss-exception.html. Common uses of the GPL include:
If your use of MySQL database software does not require a commercial license, we encourage you to purchase support from MySQL AB anyway. This way you contribute toward MySQL development and also gain immediate advantages for yourself. See Section 1.4.1, "Support Offered by MySQL AB." If you use the MySQL database software in a commercial context such that you profit by its use, we ask that you further the development of the MySQL software by purchasing some level of support. We feel that if the MySQL database helps your business, it is reasonable to ask that you help MySQL AB. (Otherwise, if you ask us support questions, you are not only using for free something into which we've put a lot a work, you're asking us to provide free support, too.) 1.4.4 MySQL AB Logos and TrademarksMany users of the MySQL database want to display the MySQL AB dolphin logo on their Web sites, books, or boxed products. We welcome and encourage this, although it should be noted that the word MySQL and the MySQL dolphin logo are trademarks of MySQL AB and may only be used as stated in our trademark policy at http://www.mysql.com/company/trademark.html. 1.4.4.1 The Original MySQL LogoThe MySQL dolphin logo was designed by the Finnish advertising agency Priority in 2001. The dolphin was chosen as a suitable symbol for the MySQL database management system, which is like a smart, fast, and lean animal, effortlessly navigating oceans of data. We also happen to like dolphins. The original MySQL logo may only be used by representatives of MySQL AB and by those having a written agreement allowing them to do so. 1.4.4.2 MySQL Logos That May Be Used Without Written PermissionWe have designed a set of special Conditional Use logos that may be downloaded from our Web site at http://www.mysql.com/press/logos.html and used on third-party Web sites without written permission from MySQL AB. The use of these logos is not entirely unrestricted but, as the name implies, subject to our trademark policy that is also available on our Web site. You should read through the trademark policy if you plan to use them. The requirements are basically as follows :
Contact us via email at trademark@mysql.com to inquire about special arrangements to fit your needs. 1.4.4.3 When You Need Written Permission to Use MySQL LogosYou need written permission from MySQL AB before using MySQL logos in the following cases:
Due to legal and commercial reasons, we monitor the use of MySQL trademarks on products, books, and other items. We usually require a fee for displaying MySQL AB logos on commercial products, since we think it is reasonable that some of the revenue is returned to fund further development of the MySQL database. 1.4.4.4 MySQL AB Partnership LogosMySQL partnership logos may be used only by companies and persons having a written partnership agreement with MySQL AB. Partnerships include certification as a MySQL trainer or consultant. For more information, please see Section 1.3.1.5, "Partnering." 1.4.4.5 Using the Word MySQL in Printed Text or PresentationsMySQL AB welcomes references to the MySQL database, but it should be noted that the word MySQL is a trademark of MySQL AB. Because of this, you must append the trademark notice symbol ( ) to the first or most prominent use of the word MySQL in a text and, where appropriate, state that MySQL is a trademark of MySQL AB. For more information, please refer to our trademark policy at http://www.mysql.com/company/trademark.html. 1.4.4.6 Using the Word MySQL in Company and Product NamesUse of the word MySQL in company or product names or in Internet domain names is not allowed without written permission from MySQL AB. |
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