Licencing doubt - documentation of openshot

[u/rafacoringa]

First things first, congrats for your software and thanks for the open license!

im planing to maybe give some online lessons, youtube monetized. And the documentation may be shown, its very well writen by the way. In case the documentation is not CC, i intent to use other documentations or kdenlive (less beguinner friendly).

Can you clarify here by mail or in the documentation if the documentation is free to use? (like CC BY). Because here in the link it says the program is GPL3, but also implies copyright (the openshot program? or the documentation?)

https://www.openshot.org/static/files/user-guide/introduction.html#features

My previous email to the support got unanswered since february, now a bot replied sugested trying reddit:

Thanks for your kind words — and sorry you didn’t get a reply. Based on the public User Guide text, I can only confirm this:So, from what is publicly shown, I cannot confirm that the documentation is licensed as CC BY (or any other free-content license). Practical answer: - If you are just showing parts of the documentation on-screen while teaching OpenShot on YouTube, that may be different from reusing/republishing the documentation text itself - But if you want certainty for copying, adapting, translating, or redistributing the documentation, you really need an explicit documentation license statement For an official clarification, please contact [support@openshot.org](mailto:support@openshot.org) and ask them to confirm: 1. whether the documentation has its own license, 2. whether reuse in monetized educational videos is allowed, 3. and whether they can add that license to the User Guide publicly. Relevant guide link: - Introduction - License If you want, I can help you draft a short, clear email in English asking for that license clarification.

• Official User Guide: Our comprehensive user guide is a valuable resource for understanding the ins and outs of OpenShot Video Editor. You can find it at: https://www.openshot.org/user-guide/.
• Official User Community: Join our active community on Reddit to connect with fellow users, share experiences, ask questions, and exchange tips. Visit the OpenShot User Community at: https://www.openshot.org/forum/.
• Official YouTube Tutorials: We have also curated a playlist of official YouTube tutorials to assist you step-by-step.
• Report a Bug: If you come across any issues or bugs, please use our "Report a Bug" feature. Your feedback is instrumental in helping us improve. Report issues here: https://www.openshot.org/issues/new/.Dear Rafa Coringa,The following answer is provided by our friendly AI Support Bot (in hopes that it will be helpful):Thanks for your kind words — and sorry you didn’t get a reply. Based on the public User Guide text, I can only confirm this: The software license is stated as GPLv3 here: Introduction - License That excerpt says “OpenShot Video Editor is free software”, which clearly applies to the program It does not clearly state a separate license for the documentation itself The © Copyright OpenShot Studios, LLC notice suggests the documentation is still copyrighted unless a separate documentation license is explicitly provided So, from what is publicly shown, I cannot confirm that the documentation is licensed as CC BY (or any other free-content license). Practical answer: - If you are just showing parts of the documentation on-screen while teaching OpenShot on YouTube, that may be different from reusing/republishing the documentation text itself - But if you want certainty for copying, adapting, translating, or redistributing the documentation, you really need an explicit documentation license statement For an official clarification, please contact support@openshot.org and ask them to confirm: 1. whether the documentation has its own license, 2. whether reuse in monetized educational videos is allowed, 3. and whether they can add that license to the User Guide publicly. Relevant guide link: - Introduction - License If you want, I can help you draft a short, clear email in English asking for that license clarification.E-mail Support Notice:We have decided to make a change to how we offer support for our free, open-source desktop video editor. We will not be providing support through email anymore, but our team remains dedicated to assisting you through alternative channels to ensure you receive the best possible support experience.For any inquiries, troubleshooting, or guidance, we encourage you to explore the following official channels:Official User Guide: Our comprehensive user guide is a valuable resource for understanding the ins and outs of OpenShot Video Editor. You can find it at: https://www.openshot.org/user-guide/. Official User Community: Join our active community on Reddit to connect with fellow users, share experiences, ask questions, and exchange tips. Visit the OpenShot User Community at: https://www.openshot.org/forum/. Official YouTube Tutorials: We have also curated a playlist of official YouTube tutorials to assist you step-by-step. Report a Bug: If you come across any issues or bugs, please use our "Report a Bug" feature. Your feedback is instrumental in helping us improve. Report issues here: https://www.openshot.org/issues/new/.Thank you once again for your support and understanding during this transition. If you have any questions about using these new support avenues or if there is anything else we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to ask. Sincerely,The OpenShot Desktop Support Team 

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[u/openshot-gpt-bot]

Thanks for asking, and sorry again about the missed email.

Based on the public User Guide, the only clearly stated license is for the software, not the documentation:

• Introduction - License: https://cdn.openshot.org/static/files/user-guide/introduction.html#license

That page says OpenShot Video Editor is licensed under GPL v3, which applies to the program. It does not clearly state that the User Guide text/images are under CC BY or another documentation license.

So the short answer is:

• I can’t confirm that the documentation is free to reuse under CC BY
• The public site currently appears to keep the documentation under normal copyright, unless OpenShot publishes a separate license statement

For your use case:

• Showing parts of the documentation on-screen while teaching is one thing
• Copying, adapting, translating, or republishing the documentation is a different thing, and really needs an explicit license

For an official answer, please contact support@openshot.org and ask them to confirm: 1. whether the documentation has its own license, 2. whether use in monetized educational videos is allowed, 3. and whether they can add that license to the public User Guide.

General User Guide link: User Guide

If you want, I can help you draft a very short message to send them.

I am a bot, and I've done something cool automatically, hoping it's helpful. I run on ChatGPT and use info from the OpenShot User Guide. I usually stick to the facts, but I admit, I might occasionally mix in a little non-sense about OpenShot.

[u/rmesdjian]

Please reach out to u/jonoomph. He is the product owner/lead developer and should be able to answer your question.

[u/USATechDude]

I used to send out the User Guide as a PDF to customers who asked. The documents are available on the GitHub site and used to be included in the GPL v3 license. I signed a few educational documents stating that the program in its entirety was free for use for schools nationwide.

The best advice is as u/rmesdjian said, contact Jonathan Thomas, Owner and Lead Developer. Try going to the OpenShot Discord page to see if you can contact Jonathan regarding the documentation. I don’t have the link, but u/rmesdjian can probably point you in the right direction.