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QElectroTech's licensing and what it means for you.
QElectroTech is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPLv2).
Copyright: © 2007-2026 The QElectroTech Team
- ✅ Completely free — No cost, ever
- ✅ Free to use — For personal, educational, or commercial purposes
- ✅ Free to modify — Change the source code for your needs
- ✅ Free to distribute — Share copies with others
- ✅ Access to source — The complete source code is publicly available
- ⚖️ Share-alike — If you distribute modified QET, you must share your changes under GPL too
The GPL uses "free" in two senses:
- No cost — You never pay for QElectroTech
- Freedom — You have freedom to use, study, modify, and share the software
✅ Use freely — Run QElectroTech for any purpose with no restrictions
✅ Study the source — Read and understand how it works
✅ Modify it — Change the code to fit your needs
✅ Redistribute — Share copies with others
✅ Sell it — Distribute (modified or unmodified) commercially
No licensing fees — None now, none ever, guaranteed by GPL
If you distribute QElectroTech (modified or unmodified), you must:
- Include the GPL license — Provide a copy with the software
- Document changes — If modified, clearly mark what changed
- Provide source code — Make the source code available to recipients
- Use the same license — Modifications must stay under GPL v2
- Acknowledge copyright — Include "© 2007-2026 The QElectroTech Team"
Important: These obligations only apply if you distribute the software. Using it privately has no obligations.
Your situation: You use QET to create electrical diagrams for your projects.
Your rights:
- ✅ Download and install QET
- ✅ Create and save unlimited diagrams
- ✅ Modify QET's code for personal use
- ✅ No cost, no licensing fees
- ✅ No restrictions whatsoever
Your obligations: None.
Your situation: You're a teacher using QET in a classroom or students learning with it.
Your rights:
- ✅ Students can use QET for coursework
- ✅ Create custom elements for teaching
- ✅ No licensing complexity
- ✅ Affordable alternative to commercial tools
- ✅ Access to source for learning
Your obligations: None (unless you redistribute).
Your situation: Your company uses QET to create diagrams professionally.
Your rights:
- ✅ Install on multiple computers
- ✅ Use for client projects
- ✅ Sell diagrams and documentation created with QET
- ✅ Your work is yours to keep
- ✅ No licensing fees or restrictions
Your obligations: None (you're not distributing QET itself).
Your diagrams are yours: The GPL only applies to QElectroTech software, NOT to diagrams you create with it. You own your work completely.
Your situation: Your company modifies QET to add custom features and wants to distribute the modified version.
Your rights:
- ✅ Modify QET as needed
- ✅ Use internally without restrictions
- ✅ Sell software based on modified QET
- ✅ Customize for client needs
Your obligations:
- Must provide source code to recipients
- Must license modifications under GPL v2
- Must document changes made
- Must include license and copyright notice
- Modifications cannot be proprietary
Key point: You can profit from software based on QET, but you cannot make it proprietary. Others gain the same rights you did.
Your situation: You design custom electrical symbols to share.
Your rights:
- ✅ Create any element libraries you want
- ✅ Distribute elements publicly
- ✅ Keep them private or share with team
- ✅ Sell element libraries
- ✅ Choose your own license for elements
Your obligations: None (elements are not code, so GPL doesn't apply).
Note: Elements themselves are not GPL; you can license them differently than QET.
Your situation: You develop an automation tool that uses QET libraries.
Before you proceed: Consult with a lawyer about GPL implications for your specific case.
General guidance:
If you statically link to QET or redistribute QET code:
- Your product may need to be GPL as well
- You must provide source code
- You must license under GPL v2 or compatible license
If you use QET as a separate tool:
- Fewer GPL implications
- But still must comply with GPL for QET
- Consult legal counsel for your specific situation
The GPL applies to QElectroTech software, not to diagrams you create:
- Your
.qetfiles belong to you - You can use them however you want
- You can keep them private or publish
- You can sell diagrams created with QET
- No GPL restrictions on your work
- You have complete ownership
- Private use has no obligations
- Only applies to distributions
- Internal company use is unrestricted
- No requirement to publish changes unless you distribute
- You can use QET commercially
- You can sell software based on QET
- You can profit from your work
- No licensing fees or restrictions
- No vendor lock-in
If you contribute code to QElectroTech, you agree that:
- Your code will be GPL v2 — Becomes part of the shared project
- You retain copyright — You still own copyright to your contributions
- QET Team can use it — They can modify and redistribute your code under GPL
- Others get your improvements — Your contributions benefit the entire community
Why GPL? Ensures improvements stay free for everyone.
If you contribute element libraries:
- You choose the license — Elements aren't code, so pick your own terms
- QET can redistribute — Once shared publicly, QET may include in collections
- You retain credit — Recognized as the creator
- Community benefits — Your designs help other users
For the complete official license text, see:
- LICENSE file on GitHub — Official QET license
- GNU.org GPL v2 — Full license text and FAQ
- TL;DR Legal GPL v2 — Quick summary
If you use QElectroTech, we appreciate (but don't require) attribution:
In a project:
This project uses QElectroTech, licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0
In documentation:
Diagrams created with QElectroTech, an open-source electrical schematic editor licensed under GPL v2.
Simple:
Powered by QElectroTech
GPL ensures that:
✅ Freedom persists — Software stays free for everyone forever
✅ Improvements benefit all — Enhancements go back to community
✅ No vendor lock-in — You're never locked into one company
✅ Transparency — Source code is always available
✅ Democratic development — Community-driven, not corporate-controlled
✅ Trust — No hidden code or proprietary restrictions
The GPL protects the freedom of the software and the people who use it.
A: Yes, absolutely. Commercial use is explicitly allowed.
A: Yes. Your diagrams are yours; the GPL doesn't apply to them.
A: No, never. QET is free both in cost and in freedom.
A: Yes. You can modify it however you want for personal/internal use.
A: Yes, but you must provide source code and license under GPL v2.
A: No. GPL prevents this. Modifications must stay open and free.
A: Yes, but if you distribute it, recipients must get the same freedoms (including source code).
A: No. Your work is yours. Only QET software is GPL.
A: Still GPL. All versions are open source.
A: Yes. GPL guarantees this for all versions, forever.
A: Yes. That's exactly what GitHub allows you to do.
A: For personal/educational use: No. For commercial distribution: Maybe consult one.
If you have complex licensing questions:
- Software licensing lawyer — For commercial distribution scenarios
- FSFE Legal Support — Free Software Foundation Europe offers resources
- GitHub Legal Guides — GitHub's open source guides have licensing info
- Your lawyer — If you're distributing software commercially
Community questions:
- Forum — Ask other users
- GitHub Discussions — Technical license questions
| Use Case | Free? | Restrictions? | Must Share Source? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal use | ✅ | None | No |
| Educational | ✅ | None | No |
| Commercial (unmodified) | ✅ | None | No |
| Commercial (modified, keep private) | ✅ | None | No |
| Distribute unmodified | ✅ | Must include GPL | Only include file |
| Distribute modified | ✅ | Must share source | Yes |
| Make proprietary | ❌ | GPL prevents this | N/A |
QElectroTech is completely free, forever.
- No cost
- No licensing complexity (unless you distribute modifications)
- Your work is your own
- You get access to source code
- You can use it however you want (personal, educational, commercial)
- The community keeps it free for everyone
That's the promise of GPL.
- Contributing — How to contribute code and be part of the project
- Community — The people behind QElectroTech
- History — How the project came to be open source
- GitHub Repository — Where the code lives
