TBB licensing

[Marius_C_1]

Hi,

I'm having some issues regarding TBB licensing. Before pointing out that this is a technical forum, which I realize and respect,  please note that Intel support sent me here, like in this situation or this other.

The company I work for has a commercial application and we want to use Intel TBB. I will try to outline the platforms I need to support and what license options I've found so far:

1. Windows x86 - already have a commercial license which was acquired with the Intel Parallel Studio

2. Linux x86 - will buy a commercial license

3. Android ARM - Intel support advised to use the OSS TBB

4. Embedded Linux ARM - Intel support advised to use OSS TBB

5. QNX ARM - Intel support advised to use OSS TBB  

The first 2 points are well covered but for the subsequent 3 points - the platforms that are not officially supported by the commercial license -  Intel support advised to use OSS TBB. I tried to figure it out by reading the license,  the FAQ, the GNU libstdc++ license and  searching the forums here e.g. :

https://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/topic/304831

https://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/topic/292842

https://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/topic/297749

There seems to be a general fuzziness about the inclusion of the OSS TBB in commercial applications  and Intel support does not help in that regard - they kept circling me and sending me to this forum. If the licensing of OSS TBB is indeed exactly as the libstdc++ then I concluded(maybe prematurely) that I can use TBB in the closed source app, I can link against the dynamic prebuilt libraries of TBB, but I cannot distribute TBB libraries with the application.

So to this moment, a month after I started investigating the issue, I am not sure if the above conclusion is correct. If that is correct then it poses the problem that the clients using the app need to make sure that their platforms include TBB - meaning downloading and building it - which does not seem as a very good option. What about the fact that I have to actually build TBB from sources with the compilers provided for the platforms I need to support In order to link against my app? Does that affect in any way the licensing?

I am not looking for legal advice on this forum but for opinions and experiences regarding handling the licensing issues of OSS TBB in commercial applications.

Thank you

[Vladimir_P_1234567890]

Hello Marius,

1. Licensing: could you send your email and geo to me in a private message? I'll try to find a right person to respond to the request.

2. QNX question: have you checked that TBB works on QNX? Officially we support OSes with real-time kernel like Yocto or Wind River Linux. Do you have a port to QNX? If yes, would you mind to submit a contribution to the project (https://www.threadingbuildingblocks.org/submit-contribution)? 

Thank you,
--Vladimir

[Marius_C_1]

Hi Vladimir,

We have tried it on all the platforms except QNX(we have tried our software on QNX but without the TBB itegration). We are right now in the feasibility study phase with QNX, but if we go that way, meaning fully supporting the platform, I think we will make the effort to port it and we will definitely share it.

I PM-ed you with the details.

Thank you,

Marius

[Josef_H_]

Hello Vladimir,

Vladimir Polin (Intel) wrote:

1. Licensing: could you send your email and geo to me in a private message? I'll try to find a right person to respond to the request.

I think this is a question of general interest: Given that the sourcecode of OSS TBB is NOT modified, am I allowed to distribute (self-)compiled shared libraries of OSS TBB along with my closed source application ???

Maybe You or Marius could post the answer of the responding person here in the forum...

Regards, Josef

[Marius_C_1]

Josef H. wrote:

I think this is a question of general interest: Given that the sourcecode of OSS TBB is NOT modified, am I allowed to distribute (self-)compiled shared libraries of OSS TBB along with my closed source application ???

Maybe You or Marius could post the answer of the responding person here in the forum...

Regards, Josef

Hello Josef,

I am still waiting for a response from Intel.

Apart that we contacted a lawyer that told us we cannot use the OSS TBB in our commercial app. I would still love to have some answer from Intel though.

[Josef_H_]

Hello Marius!

Marius C. wrote:

Apart that we contacted a lawyer that told us we cannot use the OSS TBB in our commercial app.

Wow! This is the first posting with substantial content regarding OSS-TBB licensing I ever read in this forum :-)

Thanks a lot!