The Licensing Model

Quantum Leaps^®, LLC uses the increasingly popular dual licensing business model, in which both the open source software distribution mechanism and traditional closed source software distribution models are combined.

NOTE: If your company has a policy forbidding open source in your product, all QP™ frameworks can be licensed commercially, in which case you don't use any open source license and you do not violate your policy.

Open Source Projects:

If you are developing and distributing open source applications under the GNU General Public License (GPL), as published by the Free Software Foundation, then you are free to use the Quantum Leaps software under the GPL version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. Please note that GPL version 2 Section 2(b) requires that all modifications to the original code as well as your application code (Derivative Works as defined in the Copyright Law) must also be released under the terms of the GPL open source license.

learn more about open source licensing

Closed Source Projects:

If you are developing and distributing traditional closed source applications, you must purchase one of Quantum Leaps commercial licenses, which are specifically designed for users interested in retaining the proprietary status of their code. All Quantum Leaps commercial licenses expressly supersede the GPL open source license. This means that when you license Quantum Leaps software under a commercial license, you specifically do not use the software under the open source license and therefore you are not subject to any of its terms. Commercial licensing options are described below.

submit a no-obligation license request form

Commercial Licenses

Quantum Leaps commercial licenses are designed for users, who cannot open their application code and therefore cannot use Quantum Leaps software under the terms of the GPL open source license.

Quantum Leaps offers the following commercial licensing options:

Single Product License allows you to embed a given type of the QP™ framework into one end-product which can be manufactured in any quantity, for the life of the end-product. In other words, this is a royalty-free license but a different license is required for each different end product (i.e. model) even if the end product is in the same family as a previously licensed end product. This license is specific to the processor used and the specific name and model of the end product. The general rule we apply is:

If you consider it a separate product...so do we!

Examples of Single Products include any single model of an HDTV, DVD player, network switch, washing machine, thermostat, patient monitor, etc. Volume discounts are offered if Several Single Product Licenses are acquired with one License Agreement (see Quantum Leaps Price List).
Product Line / CPU License allows you to embed a given type of the QP™ framework into any number of end-products within a family of related products or within any products based on the same CPU architecture. You can manufacture an unlimited number of units of each of those products, for the life of the end-products within the product family. In other words, this is a royalty-free license applicable to all end-products that do similar functions within the same product family. Examples of Product Lines are: HDTVs, VCRs, DVD Players, MP3 Players, Washing Machines, GSM Cell Phones, Pacemakers, Devices based on ARM Cortex-M3, Renesas RX, MSP430, or a specific custom ASIC.
Any Product License allows you to embed a given type of the QP™ framework into any end-product of your company. You can manufacture and sell an unlimited number of the products containing the licensed QP framework type. In other words, this is a royalty-free license applicable to all end-products of a given company.
OEM License allows you to embed a given type of the QP™ framework in any product of your company (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and gives limited sublicensing rights to system integrators, subsystem vendors, and subcontractors.

Commercial Technical Support

Every commercial license includes one year of technical support, which can be can be extended annually. The scope of the technical support includes:

Assistance with QP installation, usage and functionality;
Unlimited e-mail support and resolution of any problems found in QP;
Upgrading the licensed software to newer versions of that software;
Upgrading the license for the differentce in the license fees; and
E-mail notification of new releases, if elected by the Licensee.

Business Model: To minimize our support load and expenses, we are highly motivated to keep our software free of bugs, easy to use, and clearly documented with many examples. This is in contrast to many first-generation open-source vendors, where such strategy would actually lower their revenue and profit from support contracts.

Software and License Upgrades

During the Support Term the Licensee can upgrade the licensed software to any newer version that Quantum Leaps might release before the end of the Support Term.

Also, as long as the Licensee maintains the active Support Term, the Licensee can upgrade the license to any broader license (e.g., Single Product to Product Line) for just the price difference between the two license types. This is designed to lower the risks of adopting QP.

After the expiration of the Support Term, the Licensee can no longer upgrade the software or the license, although the Licensee retains the right to use any version of the licensed software released within the expired Support Term.

Evaluating the Software

The open character of the QP/C™, QP/C++™, and QP-nano™ frameworks allows anybody to evaluate the software under the GPL open-source license. In this respect, evaluating dual-licensed software delivers a large advantage over the highly supervised trial licensing practices still so common in the embedded system marketplace. However, when you are past the evaluation stage and start developing a commercial QP application you must purchase one of the QP commercial licenses.

Acquiring a commercial license early in the development process not only protects your closed-source software, but also gives you the Commercial Technical Support when you most need it. On the other hand, continuing to use the QP™ software under the open source license without any intent to open up your code represents a violation of the GPL and is illegal.
Read about the far-reaching implications of FOSS licence violation

When in Doubt...

If you are unsure about your use of our software, we recommend that you buy a royalty-free commercial license. That is the safest solution and is never wrong. Thanks to our cost-effective way of producing software, we are able to sell our commercial licenses at prices well under the industry average.

The best way to submit a licensing question is by means of our no-obligation License Request Form. We encourage you to refer to our Frequently Asked Questions section or an IP lawyer as appropriate. We recommend the commercial licensing option to all private-sector and government organizations, because only commercial licensing frees you from the broad and strict requirements of the GPL license.

To all open source enthusiasts we recommend our products under the GPL license. We believe that Quantum Leaps open source contribution brings unique benefits to the embedded software community.

Quantum Leaps Price List

NOTE: Quantum Leaps reserves the right to change the prices at any time and without notice. Please submit a no-obligation License Request form to recieve a binding price quote.

Commercial License Fees (US Dollars)
QP™ Framework Type	Single Product License		Product Line / CPU License		Any Product License		OEM License
	Small Business1	Big Business	Small Business1	Big Business	Small Business1	Big Business
QP/C	$ 1,495.–2	$ 2,995.–2	$ 8,980.–	$17,970.–	$11,980.–	$23,950.–	ask for pricing
QP/C++	$ 1,995.–2	$ 3,995.–2	$11,980.–	$23,970.–	$15,980.–	$31,950.–	ask for pricing
QP-nano	$ 795.–2	$ 1,495.–2	$ 4,480.–	$ 8,970.–	$ 5,980.–	$11,950.–	ask for pricing
1Small Business means a business that is privately owned and operated, with annual revenue not exceeding $1 million US dollars 2See volume discounts for multiple Single Product Licenses purchased with one License Agreement

Volume Discounts for Single Product Licenses
Number of Single Products	1	2	3	4	5 or more
Volume Discount	0%	5%	10%	15%	20%
Example: Three (3) Single Product Licenses for QP/C. License fee before the volume discount: 3$2,995 = $8,985. Volume discount for 3 Single Product Licenses = 10% $8,985 = $898. Total price after the volume discount = $8,985 - $898 = $8,087.

Support and Upgrade Term Extension
Support Type	First Year	Subsequent Year
Unlimited e-mail Support, free software upgrade, and a license upgrade option3	Included in the License Fee	$1,000 + 10% of the total License Fee
3Requires a valid commercial license

License Purchasing Procedure

The steps for obtaining a Quantum Leaps commercial license are as follows:

A Customer fills out and submits the License Request Form.
For one of our standard licenses, Quantum Leaps will reply via e-mail with the attached Licensing Agreement to be filled out and signed by the Licensee.
For a Custom License, Quantum Leaps negotiates a custom-tailored Licensing Agreement and pricing.
The Customer sends filled out and signed Licensing Agreement to Quantum Leaps by fax, or via regular mail.
After receiving the signed Licensing Agreement Quantum Leaps issues an invoice to the customer.
Upon receiving payment confirmation or a copy of a purchase order, Quantum Leaps signs the customer's copy of the Licensing Agreement, assigns a unique License Number, and sends the customer's copy back to the customer by fax as well as to the customer's postal address.

Commercial License Request Form

Please fill out the information below, required fields are color-coded and marked with a *.

NOTE: This form is just a request for information and does not represent any obligation to purchase a license.
The information you provide will be handled with confidentiality.

License Request Form

First Name: *

Last Name: *

Email Address: *

Phone Number:

Job Function:

Company: *

Small Business (total annual revenue below $1 million USD)

Street Address: *

City: *

State: *

ZIP/Postal Code: *

Country: *

Website:

Application Type:

QP™ Framework Type: *

QP/C

QP/C++

QP-nano

License Type: *

Single Product/CPU License

Product Line License

Any Product License

OEM License

Anticipated Production Date: *

Target CPU:

Compiler:

RTOS/Kernel:

if "Other" please specify:

Quantum Leaps
Partner Referral:

If QP was recommended by a Quantum Leaps Partner, please provide his/her name:

Notification:

I'd like to be notified via e-mail about new product releases and upcoming events related to Quantum Leaps software.

Comments:

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Last updated: April 02, 2013