One WordPress theme on multiple sites?
I have more than one project. I believe you too have multiple websites. Then you have come to the right place. After purchasing a Premium Theme or Template you can download it in your device. You can use that WordPress theme on your website. But can you use one WordPress theme on multiple sites? Firstly, you just have to install your premium theme on your website. During installation, you will have to enter the license key. Now the question comes whether you can use that same WordPress theme or template for building another website. Since you have bought a multi-purpose website, you may have intended to build more than one website on multiple niches.
The simple answer is you have to go through the license section of your premium theme or template. There you can find the license agreement your theme is bought under. All the rules and regulations of that particular license category will apply to your usage of your premium theme accordingly.
To get a clear and transparent idea read this post.
License category:
GPL LICENSE:
Abbreviation of GPL is General Public License. If the premium theme you have bought is under GPL license, you are free to use that theme on multiple domains. You can use it, copy and distribute it without any legal complication. You can also modify theme as you want and redistribute it by just giving due credits.
Cons:
Lots of premium themes licensed under GPL do not provide developer support to users after buying it. Not all of them but many do so. You can find it as I mentioned above in your premium theme license section. If you do not need support then you can go for it.
REGULAR LICENSE:
Let’s say your premium theme is under regular license. You can use it on your website once. That is you can install that premium theme on your WordPress website. You can customize, edit, add contents and other necessary changes to build a functional website. You can also transfer your website to your clients if you are a website developer professional. The license will be transferred automatically to your client.
Cons:
You cannot use that premium theme on any other domain or subdomain. If you want to then you have to buy another license in the same way and follow accordingly to build another functional website.
EXTENDED LICENSE:
It is actually quite same as a regular license with some benefits at your disposal. That is you can install the theme only on one website same as premium theme under regular license. But if you modify your theme and then make your end product, you can charge your client for your theme modification. You also need an Extended license instead of Regular one in the following circumstances. Suppose you have an E-commerce website where you have given access to multiple users that they can edit and add contents on your theme multiple times. Extended license will serve the purpose.
Cons:
Restricted to only one website.
Why there is so much restriction?
Once it was a hot topic in the WordPress theme arena. WordPress simply opposed these restrictions of limiting one premium theme to one website only. So that we can use one WordPress theme on multiple sites. According to Mark Jaquith; Lead developer of WordPress, WordPress theme is a derivative of WordPress itself. As WordPress is registered under GPL license, so WordPress theme should be GPL compatible. They also opposed charging customers for clearing footer credit. They did not take any action as they cannot actually impose anything on WordPress theme developer. But they encouraged them to adopt the GPL license and many actually did so. But most of them do not provide any after sell services.
Overview:
I am a legal person and so should be you. You can actually use one WordPress theme on multiple sites through illegal means. But I highly encourage you to give the WordPress theme developer their due in exchange for their hard work.
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