Selling customized versions of Ubuntu

My question is next: "Can I modify some version of Ubuntu Linux, add some software related to electrical engineering, modify look and some functions of Ubuntu, basically customize the entire system so it suits the needs of electrical engineers working on the field or in the office, and then that customized system sell in order to make profit?"

I'm not sure am I allowed to do that (is it legal?), so I would appreciate answer.

Solution 1:

Generally speaking, yes, but there are legal conditions and other things to consider:

• Most of the licenses in use are GPL2+. The rest are more permissive. Distributing GPL software (and modified LGPL software) requires you publish (or offer to publish) the source of that software to the people you're distributing to.

• What other licenses are you using? Are your electronics applications redistributable?

• "Ubuntu" is a registered trademark so if you want to use its name in your derivative product, you're probably going to need permission. See Canonical's IP policy. Notably:

  Any redistribution of modified versions of Ubuntu must be approved, certified or provided by Canonical if you are going to associate it with the Trademarks.

  You probably could rebrand Ubuntu as Dino-Linux without permission, and that would be fine. There have been grumbly noises about stripping all mention of Ubuntu from unlicensed derivatives, but there have also been statements saying that's unnecessary.

  Seeking professional guidance, or explicit permission is probably your best bet here.

• Post-install drivers (Nvidia binary, etc) are not free software. That's why they're not installed on the CDs. If you add those to your respin, you'll hit legal issues.

• You cannot stop or enforce an EULA (et al) stopping somebody from trying to redistribute your distribution without paying money. That's the point of GPL. What's free stays free. A client could buy a single copy and legally use it for all their installs.

  Again, you may need to think how your extra application fits into this bundle. It doesn't have to be GPL but you may need to jump through hoops to keep the licensing faeries happy.

That all said, I am not a lawyer. Even if I was, I wouldn't stake my legal reputation on having the full picture from your short description. Consider what I've said, make any changes you need to and then go and talk to a professional software licensing consultant or lawyer.