It depends.
The compatibility between zlib License and GNU Lesser GPL v3.0 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 |
|---|---|---|
| zlib License (Zlib) | permissive | No (implicit at most) |
| GNU Lesser GPL v3.0 (LGPL-3.0) | weak-copyleft | Yes |
zlib License: Permissive, with a misrepresentation-of-origin clause.
GNU Lesser GPL v3.0: Same library-linking permission as LGPL-2.1, with GPLv3's patent provisions inherited.
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.