I am considering making an Android Port, is it legal to sell it?

[alissals96]

Hi, I plan to start a business and my plan is to port the Android codes to make a desktop alternative to Windows and Mac. I chose Android as it's well liked.

Is it legal to sell it and what modifications would i need to make in order to legally sell it? I know for sure sons of the naming and logo would have to change but is it legal to sell a port to consumers?

Thanks

Alissa

 

[anon(10614692)]

Android itself is open source. However, lots of drivers as supplied by Samsung, GPU makers etc. will likely not be.

I also understand that any Google app, like GMail, Play Store, Maps etc. are not Open Source.

So, you could do it except a lot of functionality Android users take for granted won't be there.

Would there be a demand for a cut down version? I doubt it.

 

[Rukbat]

Also, you'd be up against a lot of competition - Android-x86 has been out since at least KitKat days. (AOSP is released under the Apache 2.0 license, which includes the words "no-charge, royalty-free" - which would tend to sell any of AOSP or derivatives. If you include your own apps, you can charge for them (if they're not ported from another work that requires free distribution).