1/ When you release a theme under GPL license and complain that it’s 100% GPL then you must agree with GPL TOS https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
You don’t have permission to deny other’s these right to distribute, copy or modify your source code. Exactly how you are using many FREE 3rd plugins/components… which released under GPL or MIT license. Of course there is no one called you such as “bad guys”
Your theme was denied because you’re selling the PRO version outside of WordPress.org. And on this market (ThemeForest), we are using the Split License (not GPL version https://help.author.envato.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000534646-What-is-Split-Licensing-and-the-GPL- )
My previous discussion is here Can I use GPLv2 code of a FREE theme inside my theme?
The following are some FAQs:
If I distribute GPL’d software for a fee, am I required to also make it available to the public without a charge? (#DoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic)
No. However, if someone pays your fee and gets a copy, the GPL gives them the freedom to release it to the public, with or without a fee. For example, someone could pay your fee, and then put her copy on a web site for the general public.
If I know someone has a copy of a GPL-covered program, can I demand they give me a copy? (#CanIDemandACopy)
No. The GPL gives a person permission to make and redistribute copies of the program if and when that person chooses to do so . That person also has the right not to choose to redistribute the program.
Why does the GPL permit users to publish their modified versions? (#WhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions)
A crucial aspect of free software is that users are free to cooperate. It is absolutely essential to permit users who wish to help each other to share their bug fixes and improvements with other users.
Some have proposed alternatives to the GPL that require modified versions to go through the original author. As long as the original author keeps up with the need for maintenance, this may work well in practice, but if the author stops (more or less) to do something else or does not attend to all the users’ needs, this scheme falls down. Aside from the practical problems, this scheme does not allow users to help each other.
Sometimes control over modified versions is proposed as a means of preventing confusion between various versions made by users. In our experience, this confusion is not a major problem. Many versions of Emacs have been made outside the GNU Project, but users can tell them apart. The GPL requires the maker of a version to place his or her name on it, to distinguish it from other versions and to protect the reputations of other maintainers.
Does the GPL require that source code of modified versions be posted to the public? (#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic)
The GPL does not require you to release your modified version, or any part of it. You are free to make modifications and use them privately, without ever releasing them. This applies to organizations (including companies), too; an organization can make a modified version and use it internally without ever releasing it outside the organization.
But if you release the modified version to the public in some way, the GPL requires you to make the modified source code available to the program’s users, under the GPL.
Thus, the GPL gives permission to release the modified program in certain ways, and not in other ways; but the decision of whether to release it is up to you.
2/ I release a FREE plugin version on WordPress.org with some key features and release another pro version in codecanyon.net
Yes, there are many users are happy with FREE version but also want to get our support. That’s why they consider to purchase the PRO version.