# MySQL FOSS exception


By Ben Ramsey

Published on March 12, 2004


Many will be pleased to know that [MySQL](http://www.mysql.com) is drafting an [exception](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLIncompatibleLibs) to allow their <abbr title="General Public License">GPL</abbr>-licensed client libraries to be included in other <abbr title="Free and Open Source Software">FOSS</abbr> applications.

[Zak Greant](http://zak.greant.com) [relates the development of this exception](http://zak.greant.com/archives/000618.html) in terms as a mother giving birth to her child.  In fact, this child is a "savior" of sorts for those building an application under a FOSS license other than the GPL and wishing to include the MySQL Client libraries.  It means that there is no longer a need to use the GPL on the overall application (as was the [rule](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#IfLibraryIsGPL) previous to this exception).

This is somewhat the reverse of a [situation I spoke of earlier](/archives/what-the-gpl/) where you may include a GPL exception to include non-GPL libraries in an application.  In this case, you would be including GPL libraries in a non-GPL application.