Title: License Last modified: August 21, 2016 --- # License * [OFS](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ep2012/) * (@ep2012) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/) * Hi, * So my client has tasked me with finding out the ins & the outs of the templates offered for sale on wordpress.org * All I could find is this page [http://wordpress.org/about/gpl/](http://wordpress.org/about/gpl/) which I think is ONLY for WP the software itself, correct? * I searched for the word “theme” on that page & nothing showed up. * In layman’s terms, can someone high up in WP explain to me what the licensing restrictions are for buying a theme thru WP.org * I also need the URL to that page. * It hurts my head to try & read legalize LOL * Thanks * Michelle Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total) * [WPyogi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpyogi/) * (@wpyogi) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377293) * WordPress.ORG does not sell anything. And all themes and plugins on WordPress. ORG are GPL. * [WPyogi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpyogi/) * (@wpyogi) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377295) * See also: * [http://make.wordpress.org/themes/guidelines/guidelines-license-theme-name-credit-links-up-sell-themes/](http://make.wordpress.org/themes/guidelines/guidelines-license-theme-name-credit-links-up-sell-themes/) * [http://markjaquith.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/why-wordpress-themes-are-derivative-of-wordpress/](http://markjaquith.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/why-wordpress-themes-are-derivative-of-wordpress/) * Thread Starter [OFS](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ep2012/) * (@ep2012) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377304) * Thank you for the URLs. * I don’t understand. You are saying that all the themes on WP.org are free? * [http://wordpress.org/themes/](http://wordpress.org/themes/) – on this page they aren’t free. * Ok, that 2nd page would take hours for me to read & digest. : ) * Questions: * 1. I think we are talking about 2 different things. You may be talking about the free theme that WP automatically comes with. I’m talking about themes that we choose to make our site look the way we want it to, themes that offer features, contact pages, are responsive, etc. * 2. So what I think I understand is that most of the themes sold for WP have this GPL license anyway, it’s not just themes sold on WP.org? * Thanks again * Michelle * [WPyogi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpyogi/) * (@wpyogi) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377308) * > [http://wordpress.org/themes/](http://wordpress.org/themes/) – on this page > they aren’t free. * Where do you get that they are not free? Any theme downloaded from WordPress. ORG is free and licensed under GPL. * To reiterate, WordPress.ORG does not sell anything. * [WPyogi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpyogi/) * (@wpyogi) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377310) * > 2. So what I think I understand is that most of the themes sold for WP have > this GPL license anyway, it’s not just themes sold on WP.org? * You would have to find out from the theme vendor. But we do recommend that if you are purchasing a theme, that you do stick with GPL themes – * > [Commercially Supported GPL Themes](https://wordpress.org/themes/commercial/) * Thread Starter [OFS](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ep2012/) * (@ep2012) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377329) * Sorry, I had been on my client’s computer earlier & she was going thru pages on WP & there was a charge, so I thought it was the same page. * I get it now. * I’ve forwarded the info to my client. * She also wants to know about licensing in relation to plugins. * Can you help with that as well? * Thanks * Michelle * [WPyogi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wpyogi/) * (@wpyogi) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377330) * > And all themes and plugins on WordPress.ORG are GPL. * > she was going thru pages on WP & there was a charge * I’m guessing she was on WordPress.COM – are you and she familiar with the differences between .COM and .ORG? * [http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/](http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/) * WordPress.COM does have some premium themes – * [http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/sort/premium/](http://theme.wordpress.com/themes/sort/premium/) * But they are not available except for use on WordPress.COM. * Moderator [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/) * (@jdembowski) * Forum Moderator and Brute Squad * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377331) * It’s a bit long but this topic may be a good read. * [http://wordpress.org/support/topic/gpl-pluginsthemes-and-images?replies=8](http://wordpress.org/support/topic/gpl-pluginsthemes-and-images?replies=8) * Chip Bennett’s got an awesome reply somewhere in these forums but I can’t locate it again… * Thread Starter [OFS](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ep2012/) * (@ep2012) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377334) * Yes I know the differences. Thank you * Yeh I didn’t think there’s be anything in there about plugins since you don’t create the plugins, developers do. * So am I to understand that in order for the plugin to be available for DL on WP’s site it must be GPL? * Michelle * [Chip Bennett](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chipbennett/) * (@chipbennett) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377337) * Hi Michelle, * You are correct: anything and everything available for download directly through wordpress.org will be 100% GPL (or 100% GPL-compatible): WordPress core, Themes in the Themes directory, and Plugins in the Plugins directory. If you get it from this site, it will be free of charge and GPL-compatible. * WordPress copyright interpretation is that Themes and Plugins are derivative of WordPress, and therefore must be distributed under GPL-compatible licenses. That said: others disagree with that interpretation, and you can find Themes an Plugins outside of wordpress.org that are distributed under non-GPL-compatible licenses. * Further, WordPress policy is only to promote Themes and Plugins distributed under GPL-compatible licenses, and only to support free Themes distributed via the official Theme and Plugin directories. * So, while you can get free (or commercial) Themes and Plugins elsewhere: caveat emptor. * If you have other licensing questions, feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer. * Thread Starter [OFS](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ep2012/) * (@ep2012) * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377339) * Thanks Chip. * Happy Holidays 🙂 * Michelle Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total) The topic ‘License’ is closed to new replies. * 11 replies * 4 participants * Last reply from: [OFS](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ep2012/) * Last activity: [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/license-2/#post-4377339) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics