You cannot combine Unreal Engine with open-source code licensed under GPL, LGPL, or similar copyleft licenses. This restricts how you can integrate certain widely-used open-source libraries into Unreal Engine projects.
This analysis describes what Unreal Engine's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Many developers routinely use GPL or LGPL-licensed open-source libraries, and this restriction may require significant code review and refactoring to ensure compliance in projects that incorporate Unreal Engine.
Developers who use GPL or LGPL open-source libraries in their projects need to carefully audit whether those libraries can be integrated with Unreal Engine under this restriction, as violating it constitutes a license breach.
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Microsoft reserves the right to restrict the export of data that may compromise the security of the services or Microsoft's intellectual property.
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"You may not, and may not permit others to, combine, Distribute, or otherwise use the Licensed Technology with any code or other content which is covered by a license that would directly or indirectly require that all or part of the Licensed Technology be governed under any terms other than those of this Agreement (those licenses, the 'Non-Compatible Licenses'). This means, for example, that you may not combine the Licensed Technology with code or content that is licensed under any of the following licenses: GNU General Public License (GPL), Lesser GPL (LGPL) (unless you are merely dynamically linking a shared library), or Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Excerpt from Unreal Engine's EULA
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages copyright law principles around license compatibility, particularly the copyleft mechanism of GPL and LGPL.
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Many developers routinely use GPL or LGPL-licensed open-source libraries, and this restriction may require significant code review and refactoring to ensure compliance in projects that incorporate Unreal Engine.
Developers who use GPL or LGPL open-source libraries in their projects need to carefully audit whether those libraries can be integrated with Unreal Engine under this restriction, as violating it constitutes a license breach.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 262 platforms. See the full comparison.
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