Question regarding GPL and Themes

Envato Authors Theme Authors
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1

Hello,

I am new to wordpress theme development and was hoping someone could clear my confusion regarding what the"GPL" entails regarding themes sold on Themeforest.

For Instance, If I develop a wordpress theme for sale on the marketplace, does that mean anyone can copy my work, ie, php/html/js, claim it as their own and simply give it a makeover with css and images and sell it off as there own?

Is it allowed or practiced among’st developers to study other’s themes/plugins to learn how they have been developed and use this understanding in the development of your own works?

My question stems from my basic understanding that wordpress in itself is GPL and that the themes or plugins developed by the authors hard work, are not subject to the same privileges.

These were just a few questions which popped in my head after reading an article regarding the GPL, and would really appreciate any insight on the matter.

Many thanks,
Sam

2

All themes are selling under Envato license so don’t worry about that. :grinning: If somebody take you work you can use DMCA. :grin:

3

I think I understand now, Many thanks for your help :slight_smile: cheers!

4

Basically, if you decide to sell your theme as 100% GPL, then your buyers can buy your theme once and use it for any purpose. There are no restrictions on how they use it. They can even resell the theme i believe. Once purchased, they can use your theme on unlimited domains as well.

If you decide to sell under Envato’s Split License, the buyers have to abide by the licensing terms where they are bound by restrictions. Also, they have to purchase regular licenses for every domain they plan to use the theme on.