Open source license

An open source license is a copyright license for computer software that allows the source code to be used, modified and/or shared under defined terms and conditions.^[1] This allows end users to review and modify the source code for their own customization, curiosity or troubleshooting needs. Open source licensed software is mostly available free of charge, though this does not necessarily have to be the case. Licenses which only permit non-commercial redistribution or modification of the source code for personal use only are generally not considered as open source licenses. However, open source licenses may have some restrictions, particularly regarding the expression of respect to the origin of software, such as a requirement to preserve the name of the authors and a copyright statement within the code, or a requirement to redistribute the licensed software only under the same license (as in a copyleft license). One popular set of open source software licenses are those approved by the Open Source Initiative (OSI) based on their Open Source Definition (OSD).

Comparisons

The Free Software Foundation has a related but distinct critera for evaluating whether or not a license qualifies software as free software. All free software licenses are also considered open source software licenses^{[citation needed]}. In the same way, the Debian project has its own criteria, the Debian Free Software Guidelines, on which the Open Source Definition is based. Open source license criteria focuses on the availability of the source code and the ability to modify and share it, while free software licenses focuses on the users freedom to use the program, to modify it, and to share it.^[2]

There are also shared source licenses which have some similarities with open source, such as the Microsoft Reciprocal License (MS-RL). They are mainly used by Microsoft and can range from extremely restrictive to comparable with free open source software.

See also

• Comparison of free software licenses
• Beerware
• Dual licensing
• Free software license
• Free Software Foundation
• Jacobsen v. Katzer—CAFC 1001–2008 ruling states that legal copyrights can have $0 value – supports all licenses (commercial and open source).
• Open Source Initiative
• Software license

References

External links

• The Open Source Initiative
• An online version of Lawrence Rosen's book Open Source Licensing: Software Freedom and Intellectual Property Law (ISBN 0-13-148787-6).
• Open Source License Quick Reference Chart — a chart comparing various aspects of open source licenses, with the option to select your bias. Based on Zooko's document, Open Source Reference for Choosing a Free Software License.
• Understanding Open Source Software – by Red Hat's Mark Webbink, Esq. — an overview of copyright and open source.
• Shared Source Licenses
• Open Source Software Licensing Basics: Guide & Comparisons
• iPhone application of open source license texts including word clouds
• Creative Commons
• Open Source Licensing for Commercial Applications