Licensing for distributed apps that contain GSAP

[lewy]

I'm researching libraries to create an application that includes an animation timeline (e.g. wick editor/Adobe Animate etc.).  

The application will include the ability to export standalone web apps consisting of a set of JavaScript/CSS/HTML/asset files as a zip folder. 
This can then be embedded in an existing webpage as an iframe or similar. 

This export will include GSAP files if I choose to use it. The goal of the application is that all edits will be done inside the application and no further changes are made once exported. However, of course, it will be possible for users to edit the exported files using a text editor.  

This application will be completely free although not open source (possibly Patreon supported).

I want some clarification on your licensing before I choose GSAP for this project. 
First, without plugins, it seems like the normal free license would be fine here. Is that correct? 
Do I need to include a file with your license details in the exported bundle?

I'm also fine with getting a BusinessGreen license here as I'd like to support you guys. 

Next, if I do include plugins it seems a little more complicated, as the plugins would then be included with any exported package.
What license should I choose for this project if I want to bundle the plugins with exports? And how I am required to communicate licensing (esp. of plugins) to end users? 
Or, is it not possible to include plugins for this use case? 

[GreenSock]

Great question. And my hat's off to you - building a whole application like that is quite an undertaking. I think it's wise to leverage GSAP as the runtime animation platform because:

• API - It has the richest API of any animation library, and it'll be particularly helpful when it comes to timelines in a tool like what you're building.
• Proven - it has been vetted by the biggest companies on the planet and it has a 12+ year track record of ongoing development. 
• Details - there are a lot of "gotchas" that come into play when dealing with complex animations that most other libraries don't address. One small example is the way repeats are handled (looping); most other libraries basically use an onComplete to then restart the animation, but that introduces small time gaps because there are always some milliseconds that elapse between the real end time and when the onComplete gets called. Those add up over time and throw things out of sync with other animations. GSAP stays perfectly in sync no matter what. Plus it handles lagSmoothing, layout thrashing, and a ton of other things that most people never even think about (not to mention all the cross-browser problem solving it does)
• Popularity - GSAP is by far the most longstanding, popular animation framework out there, so quite a few people are familiar with the API already. Plus there are many training resources. Your customers will benefit from that. 
• Ongoing support - GreenSock is known for its ongoing support, unlike many open source animation libraries. When you're wrestling with some complex challenge, it's nice to know you're not alone. 

Regarding the licensing issue...

 

If your application is 100% free in every way, and nobody pays a fee for extra features, nor do Patreon supporters get special bonuses/privileges, then yes, the standard "no charge" license would cover your usage of the public tools (not the bonus plugins). You'd just need to make sure the GreenSock files are left untouched (copyright and license info remains intact) and we'd appreciate it if you made it clear to your users that the GreenSock files are subject to their own license restrictions. So for example, if your customers use GreenSock technology in a site/product/app for which a fee is collected from multiple customers, they'd need to get the appropriate GreenSock license. 

 

If you want to secure an Enterprise license that would cover all your users so that they wouldn't have to worry about that, please contact us and we can provide more details and pricing. 

 

If you'd like to include any of the bonus plugins (like MorphSVGPlugin, InertiaPlugin, SplitText, etc.) in a way that'd give all your customers the ability to use those too, that would require an Enterprise license as well which we can chat about offline. 

 

So all of the types of usage you mentioned are totally possible and we'd be happy to work with you on a solution. Some would require an Enterprise license.

 

Does that clear things up? 

[lewy]

Great, thank you for the thorough answer. I'm well aware of the virtues of GSAP so you're preaching to the converted here 😁 Even if I can't use the plugins I think it's clearly the best solution, so long as I decide to create a completely free product.

I'm still in the early days of research here and will consider different methods of monetizing over the next few days. If I decide that it's looking like an enterprise license will be required, I'll get in touch.

Thanks again, and have a great day.