It depends.
The compatibility between GNU GPL v2.0 or later and GNU GPL v3.0 or later depends on the specific clauses and the way the two are combined in your project. Have a qualified lawyer review before redistributing.
| License | Family | Patent grant |
|---|---|---|
| GNU GPL v2.0 or later (GPL-2.0-or-later) | strong-copyleft | No (implicit at most) |
| GNU GPL v3.0 or later (GPL-3.0-or-later) | strong-copyleft | Yes |
GNU GPL v2.0 or later: GPL-2.0 with explicit upgrade path; users may pick GPL-2.0 or any later GPL.
GNU GPL v3.0 or later: GPL-3.0 with explicit upgrade path; users may pick GPL-3.0 or any later GPL.
If you found this page because you're trying to figure out whether shipping a particular dependency is safe, the answer above is a starting point — not a substitute for reading the actual licenses or talking to a lawyer when stakes are high.
LicenseHound walks every transitive dependency in your repo, maps each to its SPDX license, and flags pairs like this one in PR comments. The CLI is free; the team dashboard is paid.