I made a transition plugin, I would like to monetize its shaders...

[alacard21]

Greetings!

I recently created a plugin that adds some transitions with complex shaders. It took a lot of time and creativity, so I am hesitant to release these shaders for free. I would like to monetize them, even if it's just a small amount.

Monetizing would also enable me to allocate time to create other effects to use with the plugin, which I would love to do. However, I cannot invest much more time if it does not bring any income :-(

I understand that OBS Studio is licensed under GPL-2, which means that I cannot release the plugin under a proprietary license. Therefore, I am willing to release the plugin under the GPL-2 license. This would allow others to create their shaders if they wish to do so.

My question is, how can I create a plugin that is compliant with GPL-2 while still allowing me to sell the shaders? Do the shaders need to be GPL-compliant as well? Technically, they do not use any code from OBS itself and can exist outside of it.

Thank you in advance for any clarifications!

 

[R1CH]

If the shaders are designed to work only with your plugin and are not generic, then they likely fall under the "combined work" provision of the GPL. If they are usable outside of the plugin in other software, then they are not explicitly designed as part of the plugin so would probably be OK. In addition, I would suggest shipping some basic GPL'ed shaders with the plugin so that the distribution can be considered a "complete work" under the GPL.

 

[dodgepong]

I'll also add that, technically, the GPL does not prohibit you from gating your work behind a paywall. It just comes with the requirement that you also offer the source code for your work when you distribute it (which means that, technically, others could build the code themselves and redistribute it for free).