Legally Sell or Giveaway PREMIUM WordPress Themes – Comes with Over $1000 Worth of PREMIUM Themes

webass · 11-12-2011, 03:53 AM

Hi,
I looked through Joomla, because I used it for a long time before using WP. I strive back to Joomla on some cases today, as J 1.7 is truly improved now.
The Joomla Template clubs handle that stuff completely different.
The php is licensed under a GPL often, so they create the functions/ framework and set it free (although php runs under its own license, the php license normally).

But CSS, HTML, JS and the graphics are completely copyrighted material only to be used for the buyer under special circumstances, the creators describe in their EULA.

So, there is GPL used and... Yes, Joomla is also completely under GPL, but as You can see through this example, it is free of will, if anybody follows the core developers' mind of the opensource script setting under GPL, one is developing for, or not.
Joomla Foundation does also force people that list their extensions on the platform to set them under any special license, which means they simply dont care of this. (EDIT: Quote from extensions.joomla.org "Entries must be licensed as GPL in order to be listed, with the exception of the Tools category. Additional restrictions may not be placed on top of the GPL. Do note that the GPL does allow developers to charge for their products.)
So it goes for the plugins, components and modules on Joomla listed there. But this is only because of the listing on their site. But template clubs often list their plugins on the site, so they can fish new customers. So I think thos people know how to make their money, no matter us being aware of the GPL through such a WSO, no need to cry about them.
But they dont list the template clubs and the template clubs handle their own business.
But to be true now:
I changed over to WP finally to work with over 85% BECAUSE of the different mindset of all the supporters and the community.
And because wordpress developers have accepted marketing as their everyday business and give away lots of marketing related development stuff for free in the sense of the OS community.
For Example: You wont find a completely free autoresponder software on Joomla, for example (You wont even find a paid one, as I know so far).
I have searched up email autoresponder on WP plugins and am presented a completely free solution, that does its job, just as an autoresponder should, with follow up mails set to special date and time, and EVERYTHING.

Thats the difference. So we shouldnt argue the mindset of the developers for wordpress at all, because it senseless. A developer knows (or at least he SHOULD) what license he publishes his work under.
And to be true again, I really dont think that some of the established theme clubs would need to be listed on wordpress.org to make their living. They are not looking for being listed so that their businesss is saved from being drowned, because of sales decreasing and they need the traffic, You know?
Thats free of will and thats it.

I was aware, since 2006, that what Brian describes in his ebook should be working fine, since I first understood what the GPL is. I wasnt that deep in the topic at last, but as I said, this is a real old hat.
Just that Brian had his eyes open and watched for new possibilites and that he found out, about that commercial stuff being presented by Wordpressors themselves, just that alone justifies him selling his completed instructions on this WSO.

And then I can see again people debating about their own opinion (as I did also, here and there on this thread), either they are right or not, but, since the decision has been made by the developers themself, it is fairly clear to me, that they want their stuff to be re-distributed.
Am I wrong?
Under any means, I am not, because I can read on their webpages its COMPLETELY GPL.
In contrary to the Joomla Template Clubs for example. What would You do with only the php being free?
Nothing right.

So there are two different point of views, but actually those POV's are on the developers side, not really on our legal understanding.

Cheers.
Andre

E. Brian Rose · 11-12-2011, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

This is getting ridiculous.

I am not going to weigh in on the question of whether the PHP code of all WP themes and plugins is covered under the GPL. I've seen arguments on both sides of the issue from credible people who are much more well-informed on the issue than I am. And I am not a lawyer.

That said, if someone voluntarily places their themes or plugins under the GPL, that ends the question. Any and all elements covered by the GPL may be distributed, freely or for a fee, by anyone who complies with the terms of the license.

If a company posts a notice on their own site that all their themes are distributed under the GPL, there is no room for debate. They made that choice. That is explicit permission from the creators or owners of the products to allow anyone to do as Brian has done in this offer.

When this was first posted and I was made aware of it, I closed the offer and contacted Brian. I had one question: "Have the owners of those themes explicitly given permission for this kind of distribution?" When he told me they had released them under the GPL, I re-opened the offer.

What anyone thinks of the GPL is irrelevant. It is a voluntary set of conditions which one may choose not to adopt...

Paul

A lot of folks want to represent the developers in regards to what is "ethical" and what is not. Every developer of WordPress themes and plugins has a choice. They can choose to GPL only the parts of their product that run with the WordPress system (usually the PHP) and protect the rest of their product (i.e. HTML, graphics, CSS, etc). The other choice is to GPL the entire contents, allowing all of their theme or plugin to be freely distributed in accordance with the license.

This is a choice made by the developer. If they chose to make all of their product free, then they must have good reason for it. One good reason is that they agree to make their themes free so that they can get free advertising in the WordPress theme directory. Another is because it puts their name in front of eyeballs that may have never heard of them. Another reason is that they believe in the GPL and realize that they themselves used code that somebody else wrote to create their product and want to pass it along, in the spirit of the GPL.

Whatever their reason is, they had one. It was their choice to make it legal to redistribute their product, just as it was WordPress' choice to make it legal for them to use their code.

Also, keep in mind that most themes and plugins were developed using the framework and code from themes and plugins made by others. GPL is all about paying it forward. It allows for verbatim and modified distributions of GPL licensed products.

Dollarhound · 11-12-2011, 02:48 PM

"Another reason is that they believe in the GPL and realize that they themselves used code that somebody else wrote to create their product and want to pass it along, in the spirit of the GPL."

To sum up:It´s a CONSCIOUS CHOICE by the creator of the Theme/plugin

Over and Out

nicheblogger75 · 11-13-2011, 01:11 AM

All I know is that this WSO is making me BANK! Thanks Brian. The best WSO I ever bought!

Penbry · 11-13-2011, 02:33 AM

Just a quick question if I may.

How does this work for GPLv3?

John Lenaghan · 11-13-2011, 03:42 AM

I've been reading through this thread for a few days now, and I finally decided to buy the WSO so I could form a more educated opinion.

There are a couple of things I find interesting.

First, the fact that you can take advantage of the terms of the GPL to get the themes for free. Which is legal, according to the license and provided you're careful about just what's included in the GPL'ed portion of the theme.

And second, the fact that the WSO is recommending ways you can turn around and resell those themes to other people to make money. That seems exploitative to me, as Chris (a premium theme developer) has already stated:

Quote:

Originally Posted by dewde

WordPress Theme developers, like me, still consider the act exploitative. That fact doesn't change either. We do what we do in order to promote innovation and creative freedom. It just so happens that the best license to ensure that... also allows for people like you to do what you're doing. Go you!

Taking advantage of the license to get something for free on one hand, and turning around and selling it to someone else on the other, strikes me as being somewhat disingenuous and likely to create bad feelings on both ends.

The theme developers are probably not going to be particularly happy about it even if they happily accept the terms of the GPL. I doubt they licensed their themes that way with the intention of allowing other people to sell them and effectively bypass them in the process.

Yes, they accept that possibility (or don't realize it even is one) when they choose the GPL but that doesn't mean they're going to be happy about it.

And the people you sell the themes to may or may not ever realize it, but they could get them for free the same way we did. Personally, I wouldn't feel good about taking advantage of the license on one hand, and then taking advantage of other people's lack of knowledge of it on the other.

But the fact is, it's legal according to the license. And the somewhat heated debate that's going on in this thread is an extremely small part of the debate that's been going on over this for years, both in regards to WordPress and to various other things that are licensed under the GPL.

Somehow I doubt the issue is going to be resolved in this one WSO thread

John

E. Brian Rose · 11-13-2011, 08:31 AM

John,

Thanks for your post. I think that it is important for you to realize that the developers of WordPress themes and plugins are using code generated by other people. This is made possible because of the GPL. I am not just talking about the massive amount of code that they are using from WordPress itself, I am also talking about CSS, graphics, and other libraries. Many developers base their products off of other previously created products that have allowed 100% licensing under the GPL, and therefore must also pass along the same rights when they distribute. Your way of thinking means that it is ok for them, but not ok for us.

Thanks again,
EBR

E. Brian Rose · 11-13-2011, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

All I know is that this WSO is making me BANK! Thanks Brian. The best WSO I ever bought!

Glad to hear it, nicheblogger!

E. Brian Rose · 11-13-2011, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penbry

Just a quick question if I may.

How does this work for GPLv3?

I do not address the GPLv3 in this WSO. It has been around since 2007, but yet to have made an impact in the marketplace. All themes that I know of have chosen the GPL v2 licensing for all or parts of their product. If this changes anytime soon, I will update the course.

Thanks,
EBR

Mike Baker · 11-13-2011, 08:52 AM

Are buyers meant to get an email about the webinar or are we automatically registered? If we are meant to get an email, I never got one.

webass · 11-13-2011, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nichescape

And the people you sell the themes to may or may not ever realize it, but they could get them for free the same way we did. Personally, I wouldn't feel good about taking advantage of the license on one hand, and then taking advantage of other people's lack of knowledge of it on the other.

John, this totally belongs to what You will do with this knowledge.
I am for example not marketing to marketeers or develoeprs so far, You see?
I wouldnt use a theme as a teaser for signing up my list. Or give away a plugin, that does this and that.

So, if a person needs a website, I create it based on the theme. that person would all the way get supported by our company, even when I was inside the club membeship. So, in such a case, it wouldn t make any difference for the end-customer.

Cheers.

DejaVu625 · 11-13-2011, 10:22 AM

I just purchased this and got redirected to a page with a file size that = 0. Nothing to download

. I thought upthread this issue was fixed. Please reply.

E. Brian Rose · 11-13-2011, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbucciarel

If that were true, all themes would be practically identical. They are not. I purchase a lot of premium themes and they couldn't be more different, from the graphics, the css to the backend functions. Both Woo and Thesis are GPL'd and they are even remotely similar.

Thesis is not a 100% GPL theme. They reserve the rights on all of their custom CSS and java. Their PHP is GPL because it is copied and pasted from other framework.

I didn't even mention either of those themes in my statement. I said, "Many developers base their products off of other previously created products that have allowed 100% licensing under the GPL, and therefore must also pass along the same rights when they distribute." If you are going to do a line by line audit of my statement, then you should come back after you have compared the code of all WordPress themes, not just two of them.

You have made it very clear that you do not like the GPL and the freedom that it allows. You have made it clear that you don't like this WSO. We got it. There are plenty of people that see it your way and plenty that see it my way. I agree to disagree with you. We all know your stance.

E. Brian Rose · 11-13-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DejaVu625

I just purchased this and got redirected to a page with a file size that = 0. Nothing to download

. I thought upthread this issue was fixed. Please reply.

Hi DejaVu,

Seems like an isolated problem. Please PM me your payment details and I will get you fixed up ASAP.

Thanks,
EBR

E. Brian Rose · 11-13-2011, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zamantra Marketing

Are buyers meant to get an email about the webinar or are we automatically registered? If we are meant to get an email, I never got one.

Z, I am PMing you right to help solve your issue. Thanks.

DejaVu625 · 11-13-2011, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose

Hi DejaVu,

Seems like an isolated problem. Please PM me your payment details and I will get you fixed up ASAP.

Thanks,
EBR

Done, I wanted to do your other offer, but when this download didn't work...

E. Brian Rose · 11-13-2011, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dollarhound

"Another reason is that they believe in the GPL and realize that they themselves used code that somebody else wrote to create their product and want to pass it along, in the spirit of the GPL."

To sum up:It´s a CONSCIOUS CHOICE by the creator of the Theme/plugin

Over and Out

You are correct. Theme and Plugin developers have a choice to protect their code outside of the WordPress framework.... UNLESS they have used css, java, images or other libraries from another theme or plugin that was 100% GPL, then they must also pass on the rights for others to use as they wish, in accordance with the GPL.

E. Brian Rose · 11-13-2011, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DejaVu625

I just purchased this and got redirected to a page with a file size that = 0. Nothing to download

. I thought upthread this issue was fixed. Please reply.

You are all fixed up now, Deja! Check your email.

DejaVu625 · 11-13-2011, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose

You are all fixed up now, Deja! Check your email.

I got your email, thanks Brian!

sonicadam123 · 11-13-2011, 05:03 PM

I haven't bought a WSO in a while, but this really caught my eye, especially with the themes.

Just got the OTO too.

The entire process was really straight forward, got the password, worked straight away and within less than a minute I had the PDF and was wizzing through it. Even a one click download for all of the themes

I have to say it's quite an eye opener, I really hadn't taken such a close look at the GPL license before now.

I've only had chance to go through the PDF very quickly, but it is looking great,

so Thanks EBR for this!

BradKahlon · 11-14-2011, 06:39 AM

Hi

I have purchased the themes but cannot access the content. I've requested password & emailed jvzoo support, but haven't had a response.

Please PM me & I will provide the details.

Thanks
Brad

webass · 11-14-2011, 12:40 PM

Oops... anybody put his foot in it...
My nice equation with the Camaro is gone

I think, that was really picturesque, so, as I didnt receive any wake-up-call I would like to repeat it:

The GPL behaves to us, like a sign, like in the following example.

Imagine You drive down the road with Your Sports Car, looking really nasty, in a speed limit zone that says 60mph. You are driving 50mph, just enjoying the cruise.
Everything is fine until a police car stops you by and the policeman gives You a speeding ticket for driving inside the speed limit.

Thats is the same, what some people want to tell You about the GPL.
You are allowed to give away, but DON'T DO IT.

Cheers.
Andre

bbbuffalo · 11-14-2011, 05:39 PM

ugh1111111

Mike Baker · 11-15-2011, 09:14 PM

Are you able to tell me if Elegant Themes are 100% GPL?

0ldfart · 11-15-2011, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zamantra Marketing

Are you able to tell me if Elegant Themes are 100% GPL?

I found the following on the website secretly hidden under the heading "Terms and Copyright"

Link:
Terms

Quote:

All of our theme packages are released under the GNU Public License version 2.0.
All .PSD files are packaged separately and are not licesned under the GPL 2.0. Instead, these files inherit the Elegant Themes Personal Use License. These files are given to all members on a personal use basis. You may not offer them, modified or unmodified, for redistribution or resale of any kind.

FYI most theme designers will have a similar page on their site. If in doubt, an email to the deisgners themselves I would have thought would have been a more direct route to get the information. :P

semutdesign · 11-16-2011, 01:29 AM

Yes I believe Elegant Themes are not 100% GPL, that why I purchase membership from them. But you can use it on clients when you have developer license.

Mike Baker · 11-16-2011, 03:06 AM

The reason I asked is because I wish to use one of their themes as a base for a blog package I plan on selling.

Social Guy · 11-16-2011, 07:28 AM

Great... On your site: "http://ebrianrose.com/wpoto/" I see this... :"Bandwidth Limit Exceeded

The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later."

On the download site I download your PDF but I get this message: "The file 'WPResellerCourse-v2.pdf' can not be opened"

Did I just wasted $10,- ? and my time? I'm using an Macbook but all PDF's are showing except your download...

sonicadam123 · 11-16-2011, 10:12 AM

I think the OTO was yesterday, where can we find the extra stuff that was going to be uploaded after?

Cheers!

E. Brian Rose · 11-16-2011, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Social Guy

Great... On your site... "Bandwidth Limit Exceeded"

Please shoot me an email or PM. I will have you fixed up right away. The server issue was temporary. It lasted about an hour and is fixed now.

E. Brian Rose · 11-16-2011, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonicadam123

I think the OTO was yesterday, where can we find the extra stuff that was going to be uploaded after?

Cheers!

Hello,

If you purchased the OTO, you can access it by logging into the "My Purchases" section of JVZoo.com. There, you will find the download for the webinar replay and all of the tools and product that went with it.

Thanks again,
EBR

Social Guy · 11-16-2011, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose

Please shoot me an email or PM. I will have you fixed up right away. The server issue was temporary. It lasted about an hour and is fixed now.

I only have two posts this far and not able to send PM's.. What is your e-mail?

E. Brian Rose · 11-16-2011, 11:25 AM

Social Guy, I have sent you a PM with my contact information.

sonicadam123 · 11-16-2011, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose

Hello,

If you purchased the OTO, you can access it by logging into the "My Purchases" section of JVZoo.com. There, you will find the download for the webinar replay and all of the tools and product that went with it.

Thanks again,
EBR

Oops, Don't know how I missed it.

Thanks

nexus851 · 11-16-2011, 05:50 PM

so what is a wordpress theme do exactly besides just changing the layout of the wordpress? its just only like a "skin" right? i might be ignorant, but is there anything more than that?

namllc · 11-16-2011, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose

It's all fixed now. Sorry about that. Glitches happen

Hi E. Brian. I am getting an error msg when trying to purchase this product via paypal. Thanks.

Social Guy · 11-17-2011, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose

Social Guy, I have sent you a PM with my contact information.

Thanks for your quick reply! I just send you an e-mail

I will let you know when it works, thanks again!

SG.

goldstrikn · 11-17-2011, 11:19 AM

EBR shows some great things in the report. I have a question though, I downloaded ebrfanpagegenerator plugin for wordpress and it shows that I have "personal rights", but not "selling rights". Since part of your report shows the mechanics of wordpress codex and your plugin is only useful for the wordpress engine, then under the GPL and by the reports admission, I have the right to distribute and sell this. Am I wrong? by the way, I don't want to upset your uncle ;-)

E. Brian Rose · 11-17-2011, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldstrikn

EBR shows some great things in the report. I have a question though, I downloaded ebrfanpagegenerator plugin for wordpress and it shows that I have "personal rights", but not "selling rights". Since part of your report shows the mechanics of wordpress codex and your plugin is only useful for the wordpress engine, then under the GPL and by the reports admission, I have the right to distribute and sell this. Am I wrong? by the way, I don't want to upset your uncle ;-)

The parts of that plugin that utilize the WordPress infrastructure are GPL by default. They other parts of the plugin are not licensed as GPL. Those parts include graphics and HTML.

goldstrikn · 11-17-2011, 03:04 PM

mmm, now I'm confused. ok, so what do I look for in order to be "legal" in selling somebody else's free developed plugin.

NoGimmicks · 11-17-2011, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldstrikn

mmm, now I'm confused. ok, so what do I look for in order to be "legal" in selling somebody else's free developed plugin.

You look for the license that the plugin is covered by - simple as that.

If the plugin is not released under the GPL (or similar) then you cannot resell the plugin unless the license says you can.

Martin

goldstrikn · 11-17-2011, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoGimmicks

You look for the license that the plugin is covered by - simple as that.

If the plugin is not released under the GPL (or similar) then you cannot resell the plugin unless the license says you can.

Martin

The plugin that I'm interested in doesn't have any license in their file. So, how would that be interpreted? if it is present GPL license then is free for all, if is not present, then you can't redistribute/sell, because it didn't grant you any rights to do so. The license was not present. Am I correct in my statement?

NoGimmicks · 11-17-2011, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldstrikn

The plugin that I'm interested in doesn't have any license in their file. So, how would that be interpreted? if it is present GPL license then is free for all, if is not present, then you can't redistribute/sell, because it didn't grant you any rights to do so. The license was not present. Am I correct in my statement?

Ask the plugin creator what license it is released under - that way there is no ambiguity or guesswork/assumption.

goldstrikn · 11-17-2011, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoGimmicks

Ask the plugin creator what license it is released under - that way there is no ambiguity or guesswork/assumption.

Not giving away parts of the guide. If you read on pg7, any plugin that is included in the wordpress repository (directory) is covered 100% by the GPL. This all means xxxxxx (not giving away the content). Therefore, whether the plugin has a license or not, it will be free for all since it is in the wp directory. I hope that I'm interpreting this correctly. Please advise.

NoGimmicks · 11-17-2011, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldstrikn

Not giving away parts of the guide. If you read on pg7, any plugin that is included in the wordpress repository (directory) is covered 100% by the GPL. This all means xxxxxx (not giving away the content). Therefore, whether the plugin has a license or not, it will be free for all since it is in the wp directory. I hope that I'm interpreting this correctly. Please advise.

Point 5 on the plugin depository page at Wordpress answers your question:

Quote:

WordPress › WordPress Plugins

goldstrikn · 11-17-2011, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoGimmicks

Point 5 on the plugin depository page at Wordpress answers your question:

EXcellent. That's what I need it to know.

FredJones · 11-18-2011, 10:50 AM

Hi EBR, I bought from my partner Sudeshna'e Paypal ID and then there was a small bit of a download issue. I've dropped you an email from her ID (sender: S Dey) - please help me complete the download.

Thanks,
Fred

EDIT: No, I realize that there is no download issue - problem resolved. Don't worry about my email. Thanks !!

JamesBoyd · 11-18-2011, 10:54 AM

Does all this mean that the next time EBR develops a killer WP pluggin or theme we can all rip it off and sell it ourselves without paying for it?

successfulgeek · 11-18-2011, 10:59 AM

It really saddens me to see the GPL abused like this. Here is a nice little quote from an interview with Brian Gardner of Studiopress.

Quote:

It seems a lot of theme developers have become disillusioned with the GPL. Are you disappointed by how the GPL has worked in practice compared to what you envisioned before making the switch?

Quote:

Yes, I truly am dissappointed.

While I fully knew what the possibilities were – I didn’t think I’d see as many folks using the GPL as a loophole for their own monetary gain. I’m not saying I regret the move, nor am I complaining here – merely stating that it’s sad to see folks misuse the GPL.

I fully “get” that what they are doing is allowed, for me it becomes an ethical issue. In my opinion, and clearly inferred with that license, the real intent is to make the code available for people to build upon, and to come out with derivative works.

[Instead], people are using it to build sites that drive traffic, get them exposure, and ultimately water down the community. To be honest, at least with our themes, I’ve seen maybe one (if that) good use of the GPL license and our work.

Full interview can be found at GPL in Practice: an Interview with Brian Gardner | WPblogger

BlackMagic · 11-18-2011, 12:06 PM

Wow, what a debate! I known about this GPL mess for a while. The license is what it is, Brian is correct in what he is stating. Many people are figthing this WSO on moral grounds, but morals and reality have little to do with one another.

I personally would not sell someone elses work out of my personal beliefs, but what I belive and what others are legally allowed to do are two seperate issues, so accept this WSO for what it is. Some see it as a legal loophole others as a crime, it is neither.

I created Wordpress software in the past, ie WordPress Secure, luckily it was a stand alone product that did not use any of Wordpress source code, I merely called in hooks from wordpress, therefor it was not GPL'ed

I think we can start seeing two things from this, one less people willing to develope for Wordpress and people using two licences for their products. Both not entirely healthy for the Wordpress community.

11-12-2011, 03:53 AM	#451
webass Local Marketing Torero War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Ubuntu Posts: 57 Thanks: 21 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts Contact Info	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Hi, I looked through Joomla, because I used it for a long time before using WP. I strive back to Joomla on some cases today, as J 1.7 is truly improved now. The Joomla Template clubs handle that stuff completely different. The php is licensed under a GPL often, so they create the functions/ framework and set it free (although php runs under its own license, the php license normally). But CSS, HTML, JS and the graphics are completely copyrighted material only to be used for the buyer under special circumstances, the creators describe in their EULA. So, there is GPL used and... Yes, Joomla is also completely under GPL, but as You can see through this example, it is free of will, if anybody follows the core developers' mind of the opensource script setting under GPL, one is developing for, or not. Joomla Foundation does also force people that list their extensions on the platform to set them under any special license, which means they simply dont care of this. (EDIT: Quote from extensions.joomla.org "Entries must be licensed as GPL in order to be listed, with the exception of the Tools category. Additional restrictions may not be placed on top of the GPL. Do note that the GPL does allow developers to charge for their products.) So it goes for the plugins, components and modules on Joomla listed there. But this is only because of the listing on their site. But template clubs often list their plugins on the site, so they can fish new customers. So I think thos people know how to make their money, no matter us being aware of the GPL through such a WSO, no need to cry about them. But they dont list the template clubs and the template clubs handle their own business. But to be true now: I changed over to WP finally to work with over 85% BECAUSE of the different mindset of all the supporters and the community. And because wordpress developers have accepted marketing as their everyday business and give away lots of marketing related development stuff for free in the sense of the OS community. For Example: You wont find a completely free autoresponder software on Joomla, for example (You wont even find a paid one, as I know so far). I have searched up email autoresponder on WP plugins and am presented a completely free solution, that does its job, just as an autoresponder should, with follow up mails set to special date and time, and EVERYTHING. Thats the difference. So we shouldnt argue the mindset of the developers for wordpress at all, because it senseless. A developer knows (or at least he SHOULD) what license he publishes his work under. And to be true again, I really dont think that some of the established theme clubs would need to be listed on wordpress.org to make their living. They are not looking for being listed so that their businesss is saved from being drowned, because of sales decreasing and they need the traffic, You know? Thats free of will and thats it. I was aware, since 2006, that what Brian describes in his ebook should be working fine, since I first understood what the GPL is. I wasnt that deep in the topic at last, but as I said, this is a real old hat. Just that Brian had his eyes open and watched for new possibilites and that he found out, about that commercial stuff being presented by Wordpressors themselves, just that alone justifies him selling his completed instructions on this WSO. And then I can see again people debating about their own opinion (as I did also, here and there on this thread), either they are right or not, but, since the decision has been made by the developers themself, it is fairly clear to me, that they want their stuff to be re-distributed. Am I wrong? Under any means, I am not, because I can read on their webpages its COMPLETELY GPL. In contrary to the Joomla Template Clubs for example. What would You do with only the php being free? Nothing right. So there are two different point of views, but actually those POV's are on the developers side, not really on our legal understanding. Cheers. Andre

11-12-2011, 02:48 PM	#453
Dollarhound Warrior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 15 Thanks: 34 Thanked 48 Times in 35 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye "Another reason is that they believe in the GPL and realize that they themselves used code that somebody else wrote to create their product and want to pass it along, in the spirit of the GPL." To sum up:It´s a CONSCIOUS CHOICE by the creator of the Theme/plugin Over and Out

11-13-2011, 01:11 AM	#454
nicheblogger75 HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 234 Thanks: 41 Thanked 71 Times in 56 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye All I know is that this WSO is making me BANK! Thanks Brian. The best WSO I ever bought!

11-13-2011, 02:33 AM	#455
Penbry Scott Penbry War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sydney Posts: 82 Thanks: 98 Thanked 50 Times in 43 Posts Social Networking	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Just a quick question if I may. How does this work for GPLv3?

11-13-2011, 08:31 AM	#457
E. Brian Rose Thanked 47,246 Times War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast by way of Boston Posts: 3,573 Thanks: 1,512 Thanked 3,955 Times in 1,215 Posts Social Networking	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye John, Thanks for your post. I think that it is important for you to realize that the developers of WordPress themes and plugins are using code generated by other people. This is made possible because of the GPL. I am not just talking about the massive amount of code that they are using from WordPress itself, I am also talking about CSS, graphics, and other libraries. Many developers base their products off of other previously created products that have allowed 100% licensing under the GPL, and therefore must also pass along the same rights when they distribute. Your way of thinking means that it is ok for them, but not ok for us. Thanks again, EBR

11-13-2011, 08:52 AM	#460
Mike Baker Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1,535 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 316 Thanked 516 Times in 268 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Are buyers meant to get an email about the webinar or are we automatically registered? If we are meant to get an email, I never got one.

11-13-2011, 10:22 AM	#462
DejaVu625 Warrior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye I just purchased this and got redirected to a page with a file size that = 0. Nothing to download . I thought upthread this issue was fixed. Please reply.

11-13-2011, 05:03 PM	#470
sonicadam123 HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: UK Posts: 256 Thanks: 64 Thanked 56 Times in 48 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye I haven't bought a WSO in a while, but this really caught my eye, especially with the themes. Just got the OTO too. The entire process was really straight forward, got the password, worked straight away and within less than a minute I had the PDF and was wizzing through it. Even a one click download for all of the themes I have to say it's quite an eye opener, I really hadn't taken such a close look at the GPL license before now. I've only had chance to go through the PDF very quickly, but it is looking great, so Thanks EBR for this!

11-14-2011, 06:39 AM	#471
BradKahlon Warrior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Hi I have purchased the themes but cannot access the content. I've requested password & emailed jvzoo support, but haven't had a response. Please PM me & I will provide the details. Thanks Brad

11-14-2011, 12:40 PM	#472
webass Local Marketing Torero War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Ubuntu Posts: 57 Thanks: 21 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts Contact Info	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Oops... anybody put his foot in it... My nice equation with the Camaro is gone I think, that was really picturesque, so, as I didnt receive any wake-up-call I would like to repeat it: The GPL behaves to us, like a sign, like in the following example. Imagine You drive down the road with Your Sports Car, looking really nasty, in a speed limit zone that says 60mph. You are driving 50mph, just enjoying the cruise. Everything is fine until a police car stops you by and the policeman gives You a speeding ticket for driving inside the speed limit. Thats is the same, what some people want to tell You about the GPL. You are allowed to give away, but DON'T DO IT. Cheers. Andre

11-14-2011, 05:39 PM	#473
bbbuffalo Warrior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 17 Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye ugh1111111

11-15-2011, 09:14 PM	#474
Mike Baker Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1,535 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 316 Thanked 516 Times in 268 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Are you able to tell me if Elegant Themes are 100% GPL?

11-16-2011, 01:29 AM	#476
semutdesign Active Warrior Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Jakarta Posts: 54 Thanks: 20 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Yes I believe Elegant Themes are not 100% GPL, that why I purchase membership from them. But you can use it on clients when you have developer license.

11-16-2011, 03:06 AM	#477
Mike Baker Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 1,535 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 316 Thanked 516 Times in 268 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye The reason I asked is because I wish to use one of their themes as a base for a blog package I plan on selling.

11-16-2011, 07:28 AM	#478
Social Guy Active Warrior Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 85 Thanks: 17 Thanked 27 Times in 21 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Great... On your site: "http://ebrianrose.com/wpoto/" I see this... :"Bandwidth Limit Exceeded The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later." On the download site I download your PDF but I get this message: "The file 'WPResellerCourse-v2.pdf' can not be opened" Did I just wasted $10,- ? and my time? I'm using an Macbook but all PDF's are showing except your download...

11-16-2011, 10:12 AM	#479
sonicadam123 HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: UK Posts: 256 Thanks: 64 Thanked 56 Times in 48 Posts	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye I think the OTO was yesterday, where can we find the extra stuff that was going to be uploaded after? Cheers!

11-16-2011, 11:25 AM	#483
E. Brian Rose Thanked 47,246 Times War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast by way of Boston Posts: 3,573 Thanks: 1,512 Thanked 3,955 Times in 1,215 Posts Social Networking	Re: WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... and the "Best Value WSO of the Ye Social Guy, I have sent you a PM with my contact information.

11-16-2011, 05:50 PM	#485
nexus851 Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 33 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts Social Networking	Re: 2K SOLD -WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... "Best Value WSO of the Y so what is a wordpress theme do exactly besides just changing the layout of the wordpress? its just only like a "skin" right? i might be ignorant, but is there anything more than that?

11-17-2011, 11:19 AM	#488
goldstrikn Warrior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: 2K SOLD -WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... "Best Value WSO of the Y EBR shows some great things in the report. I have a question though, I downloaded ebrfanpagegenerator plugin for wordpress and it shows that I have "personal rights", but not "selling rights". Since part of your report shows the mechanics of wordpress codex and your plugin is only useful for the wordpress engine, then under the GPL and by the reports admission, I have the right to distribute and sell this. Am I wrong? by the way, I don't want to upset your uncle ;-)

11-17-2011, 03:04 PM	#490
goldstrikn Warrior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: 2K SOLD -WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... "Best Value WSO of the Y mmm, now I'm confused. ok, so what do I look for in order to be "legal" in selling somebody else's free developed plugin.

11-18-2011, 10:50 AM	#497
FredJones GegeTech Consultants War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,790 Thanks: 253 Thanked 579 Times in 308 Posts Contact Info	Re: 2K SOLD -WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... "Best Value WSO of the Y Hi EBR, I bought from my partner Sudeshna'e Paypal ID and then there was a small bit of a download issue. I've dropped you an email from her ID (sender: S Dey) - please help me complete the download. Thanks, Fred EDIT: No, I realize that there is no download issue - problem resolved. Don't worry about my email. Thanks !!

11-18-2011, 10:54 AM	#498
JamesBoyd Going The Distance Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Posts: 434 Thanks: 47 Thanked 95 Times in 59 Posts	Re: 2K SOLD -WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... "Best Value WSO of the Y Does all this mean that the next time EBR develops a killer WP pluggin or theme we can all rip it off and sell it ourselves without paying for it?

11-18-2011, 12:06 PM	#500
BlackMagic HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: USA Posts: 182 Thanks: 3 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Re: 2K SOLD -WARNING: This May be the Most Controversial WSO of All Time... "Best Value WSO of the Y Wow, what a debate! I known about this GPL mess for a while. The license is what it is, Brian is correct in what he is stating. Many people are figthing this WSO on moral grounds, but morals and reality have little to do with one another. I personally would not sell someone elses work out of my personal beliefs, but what I belive and what others are legally allowed to do are two seperate issues, so accept this WSO for what it is. Some see it as a legal loophole others as a crime, it is neither. I created Wordpress software in the past, ie WordPress Secure, luckily it was a stand alone product that did not use any of Wordpress source code, I merely called in hooks from wordpress, therefor it was not GPL'ed I think we can start seeing two things from this, one less people willing to develope for Wordpress and people using two licences for their products. Both not entirely healthy for the Wordpress community.