This file shows the email exchange by Dan Brown (danb.me) and a director from The Document Foundation who responded to their legal address.
Email addresses and names have been removed for privacy.
This conversation took place in Feb/March 2026.

---------------------------------------------------------
Dan Brown to LibreOffice:
---------------------------------------------------------

Hello,

I'm currently trying to understand the licensing for LibreOffice.

I noticed the main COPYING (https://git.libreoffice.org/core/+/refs/heads/master/COPYING) file in the core repo is GPLv3, and some of the files within this repo also have GPLv3/GPLv2+ license headers. Many of the GPLv3/GPLv2+ files appear to have added exceptions, but some do not. For Example:

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/+/refs/heads/master/solenv/gdb/boost/__init__.py
https://git.libreoffice.org/core/+/refs/heads/master/icon-themes/elementary/LICENSE.GPL
https://git.libreoffice.org/core/+/refs/heads/master/icon-themes/breeze/COPYING

I couldn’t find any reference to these specific licenses as part of the licenses guidance (https://www.libreoffice.org/about-us/licenses), or talked about elsewhere.

I'm not very familiar with the codebase, or C-based codebases in general, to understand the use of this license and the applicable files, so unsure how their use relates to Libreoffice as a whole (and built/distributed project).

Would you be able to confirm the use of the GPLv2+/GPLv3 in respect to the project as a whole?

I did ask this in the LibreOffice forum but (https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/use-of-gplv3-within-libreoffice/127316) was advised to ask at this address.

Thanks very much,
Dan Brown

---------------------------------------------------------
LibreOffice to Dan Brown:
---------------------------------------------------------

Hello Daniel,

Daniel Brown wrote on 18.02.26 at 16:09:

> I'm currently trying to understand the licensing for LibreOffice.

thanks a lot for your interest in LibreOffice and your inquiry.

Given the specifics of your question, we cannot give a binding reply. 
For a proper analysis, we recommend to ask a lawyer with expertise in 
licensing and copyright, who could advise you what's best to do.

Sorry I have no other reply, and thanks again for your interest,