I want to ensure that my intended use of the Profinet Community Stack is allowed under the Community Stack License. I understand it as allowing my company (a PI member company) to use and adapt the code within the Community Stack to create a Profinet adaptation layer for our hardware, then use that adaptation layer in our final product. I also understand this to be royalty-free. I am using the example from the community stack's 1.0 release, whose files are licensed under the community stack license, as a base for the adaption for our embedded Linux system.
Our intent is to use the community stack to implement Profinet on our industrial device product, then certify that product through a Profinet Test Center, and then sell that product to our customers. As I understand the license, this entire process should be royalty free with no associated fees for the use of the Profinet Community Stack.
Note that our product is a Profinet Device, not a Profinet Controller.
Is my understanding correct?
Community Stack Licensing Clarification
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- Posts: 2
- Joined: 16 Jun 2025, 09:25
Re: Community Stack Licensing Clarification
According to the license-agreement I would answer the questions like the following:sbsprofi wrote: ↑12 Jun 2025, 21:58 I want to ensure that my intended use of the Profinet Community Stack is allowed under the Community Stack License. I understand it as allowing my company (a PI member company) to use and adapt the code within the Community Stack to create a Profinet adaptation layer for our hardware, then use that adaptation layer in our final product. I also understand this to be royalty-free. I am using the example from the community stack's 1.0 release, whose files are licensed under the community stack license, as a base for the adaption for our embedded Linux system.
Our intent is to use the community stack to implement Profinet on our industrial device product, then certify that product through a Profinet Test Center, and then sell that product to our customers. As I understand the license, this entire process should be royalty free with no associated fees for the use of the Profinet Community Stack.
Note that our product is a Profinet Device, not a Profinet Controller.
Is my understanding correct?
PNO grants to LICENSEE with respect to the SOFTWARE and the associated documentation file(s) under its copyrights and intellectual property rights a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual and irrevocable right and license to:to use and adapt the code within the Community Stack to create a Profinet adaptation layer for our hardware, then use that adaptation layer in our final product.
2.i: use, have used, copy, have copied, modify, have modified the SOFTWARE in SOURCE CODE form in connection with the development of PRODUCTS or DEVELOPMENT KITS.
2.ii: incorporate and have incorporated the SOFTWARE and/or modified versions thereof in OBJECT CODE form into PRODUCTS and in SOURCE CODE form into DEVELOPMENT KITS,
2.iii: market, have marketed, distribute, have distributed, make available, have made available in any form (e.g. online distribution, subscription and hosting as a service) to third parties for use, have used, copy and have copied in virtual and/or non-virtual environments, the SOFTWARE solely in OBJECT CODE form and as part of PRODUCTS or in SOURCE CODE form as part of DEVELOPMENT KITS
==> Yes, you can use it for your product, and yes it is royalty-free. The intention of the Community-Stack is to strengthen our PROFINET Ecosystem and therefore be free of charge and offer a possibility to integrate PROFINET.