When you spend $49 (or $499) on a WordPress theme, you’re not really paying for the code — you’re paying for the work that produced the code. The license you receive is what determines whether you actually own that work, or whether you’re just renting it.

WordPress itself is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2 or later (GPL v2+). Because WordPress includes hooks and APIs that themes must use to function, the WordPress Foundation and the wider community have long held that themes are derivative works of WordPress — and therefore must inherit its GPL license.

The four freedoms of GPL

Stripped of legalese, GPL gives you four practical rights:

1. Use the software for any purpose, on any number of sites.
2. Study the source code to understand how it works.
3. Modify it for your own needs.
4. Redistribute your modifications — as long as you keep them under GPL.

What “split licensing” really means

Some theme shops use what they call a “split license” — the PHP code is GPL, but the CSS, JavaScript and images are proprietary. This is a clever bit of marketing, but the WordPress Foundation does not recognize it: WordPress.org’s repository rules require everything in the ZIP to be GPL-compatible.

At HDNETRO, every theme we publish is fully GPL. The PHP, the SCSS, the JavaScript, our companion plugins — all released under GPL v2+. Images and fonts that we did not create are clearly labelled with their original license (typically Creative Commons or SIL OFL).

“GPL is not a restriction. It is the guarantee that your investment in WordPress will outlast the company that sold you the theme.”

What this means in practice for buyers

• Unlimited sites. One purchase, infinite installs. Your own or client projects.
• No license keys required at runtime. Theme features keep working forever, even if our license server disappears.
• You can fork. If we go out of business, you can fork the theme and continue maintaining it yourself.
• Updates are a convenience, not a lock-in. We give you lifetime updates because we want to, not because GPL allows us to charge for them.

What it does NOT mean

A common misconception: “GPL means anyone can use my product for free.” Not quite. GPL covers distribution. If you bought a theme and want to share it with the world, you’re allowed to — but if you’ve never received the theme, the original author is under no obligation to give it to you.

In practice, this means premium GPL theme shops thrive: they sell access (downloads, support, updates), not the right-to-use itself.

Why we chose GPL for every HDNETRO product

We don’t see GPL as a marketing claim. It’s the same license that powered WordPress’s rise from a Movable Type fork in 2003 to the engine behind 43% of the web. Building inside the GPL ecosystem means:

• Our themes work everywhere WordPress works, with no DRM friction.
• You don’t have to trust us to be around 5 years from now — you have the code.
• Agencies and freelancers can build their own pricing on top of our themes without legal anxiety.

If you’re choosing a theme shop and they’re vague about licensing, ask one question: “If your company disappears tomorrow, what happens to my site?” The answer should be: “Nothing. You own the code.”