Mar 24, 2010 many developers and designers want to release their work into the world as open source projects. Because these licenses are relatively straightforward and selection from understanding open source and free software licensing book. Software development using open source and free software licenses. Free and open source software licensing open source. According to the information found on the oreilly website, andrew m. The gnu public license covers much of the software in linux distributions and extremely summarised grants you rights to use and distribute software as you wish, changes you make to the. They want others to be able to build on and share their code. Free and open source software licensing and the mystery of licensors patents 6 1. This guidance document evaluates open source gis software solutions as full solutions, or as partial solutions in combination with proprietary software.
Knowing the details, the factual ones and not the fud, will make you the go to person when these type of questions arise. Pdf understanding and auditing the licensing of open source. However, there is a number of different licenses that can be applied to open source projects which can limit the redistribution and commercial. Below are some sources with helpful definitions of key terms, organizational bodies, and historical landmarks related to open source licensing.
Understanding open source software licenses stack overflow. Laurent is an experienced lawyer with a longtime interest in intellectual property, particularly. Jan 24, 2019 the microsoft public license is a free and open source software license released by microsoft, which wrote it for its projects that were released as open source. Like many other opensource licenses it relies on copyleft, though this particular license is written to try and allow developers to expand upon projects released under other licenses as easily as possible. Including useful forms, information, and both technical and licensing background, this book. So we will take a look at some open source licenses. The mpl, as it is known, is mozillas answer to software licensing. Mar 24, 2006 understanding open source and free software licensing bridges the gap between the open source vision and the practical implications of its legal underpinnings.
Now that open source software is blossoming around the world, it is crucial to understand how open source licenses workand their solid legal foundations. I learnt a lot, the book is extremely clear and well written, it explains the. Version control repository, which allows downloading binary files, source files, as well as the complete package. Understanding open source and free software licenses kwork. Understanding open source and free software licensing bridges the gap between the open source vision and the practical implications of its legal underpinnings. It describes what open source is, discusses business reasons for using open source, and describes how an open source project works in a daytoday manner. We provide the source code of the gpl programs until five 5 years after the discontinuation of same model of this projector product. For your repository to truly be open source, youll need to license it so that others are free to use, change, and distribute the software. An important distinction of both free and open source software is that works based on free or open source source code must also be distributed with a. Similar to free software, open source products also offer a wide range of rights for its users, including source code access, and the ability to adapt and further use this code in their own projects. Software development using open source and free software licenses index. A short guide to open source licenses smashing magazine. Understanding open source and free software licensing.
This book is a user manual for understanding and deployment of open source software licensing in business. Oct 30, 2017 free and open source software defines its freedoms through its licensing, while public domain software may adhere to some of the same virtues but does so by falling outside the licensing system. Apr 24, 2018 for the past few years, he has been focusing on creating tools to uncover the origin and license about free and open source software. This article offers a list of the best open source pdf editors, and also informs you the shortcomings of pdf editor open source. Written for lawyers and businesspeople alike, it explains and analyzes open source licensing issues, and gives practical suggestions on how to deal with open source licensing in a business context. If youre an open sourcefree software developer, this book is an absolute necessity. Pdf understanding and auditing the licensing of open. Licensecopyright table of contents preface chapter 1. It is a weak copyleft license, characterized as a middle ground between permissive free software licenses and the gnu general public license gpl, that seeks to balance the concerns of proprietary and open source developers. For broader coverage of this topic, see open source software movement. He explained that today, the way we build software is like legos.
You are free to reproduce and distribute original or derivative works of any software licensed under the mspl license. I think that was the initial reason why they came up with the gnu lgpl. When you create work while employed or are commissioned to write software as a contractor then the owner of the is the entity that you did the work on behalf of, you. The selfenforcing nature of open source and free software licenses. Understanding open source software and licensing linux. A well written license protects both you and the user. This document is intended to inform state and local government and nongovernmental. If open source and free software licenses interest you, this book will help you understand them.
I am not a lawyer, nor do i play one on tv, but i do spend time with a few of them. Software licenses, open source components, and open. Understanding open source and free software licensing oreilly. I studied this book some 78 years ago from the free download offered by oreilly. We created, to help you understand how to license your code. The creation of the open source initiative osi in 1998 has helped shape the landscape of the open source software licensing today. The microsoft public license is a free and open source software license released by microsoft, which wrote it for its projects that were released as open source. Open source software is available for virtually any application you could think of. Open source has created a huge reservoir of blocks and pieces created by different individuals and organizations available for anyone to use. Sep 24, 2007 understanding open source and free software licensing. Understanding open source and free software licensing explains your licensing options, how they compare and interoperate, and how license choices affect project possibilities.
Open source projects are grounded in, there is an owner and this owner can decide what happens to the work, for example, licensing it under open source terms. Public repositories on github are often used to share open source software. Community enforcement of open source and free software licenses 158 compatible and incompatible licensing. This concise guide focuses on annotated licenses, offering an indepth explanation of how they compare and interoperate, and how license choices affect project possibilities. Thats the quick waybut do bear in mind that, typically, an online editor isnt as fully featured as its desktop counterpart, plus the file is exposed to the internet which might be of. Free and opensource software defines its freedoms through its licensing, while public domain software may adhere to some of the same virtues but does so by falling outside the licensing system. A screenshot of linux mint running the xfce desktop environment, mozilla firefox browsing wikipedia powered by mediawiki, a calculator program, the builtin calendar, vim, gimp, and the vlc media player, all of which are open source software. Single copying or license file per package or directory. Open source initiative general counsel lawrence rosen presents a plainenglish guide to open source law for developers, managers, users, and lawyers. Anyone can obtain free and open source software foss, and install it on the companys computers. And as the embedded systems market began to take off, built as it is upon open and free software, it became clear to most disinterested observers that open source and free software were elements of a different business model, not opponents to business. Understanding and auditing the licensing of open source software distributions conference paper pdf available august 2010 with 58 reads how we measure reads. Jim jagielski apache outercurve foundation director president monday, oct 19th 10. Feb 25, 2016 the mpl, as it is known, is mozillas answer to software licensing.
Free and open source licenses are a source of widespread confusion. Aug 01, 2008 anyone can obtain free and open source software foss, and install it on the companys computers. Some of these are online pdf editors that work right in your web browser, so all you have to do is upload your pdf file to the website, make the changes you want, and then save it back to your computer. The difference between free and opensource software. Licensing is the domain of the law, which means it quickly becomes relatively complex.
Legal impacts of open source and free software licensing. The mozilla public license mpl is a free and open source software license developed and maintained by the mozilla foundation. Open source software license gnu gpl this projector product includes the open source software programs which apply the gnu general public license version 2 june 1991 gpl programs. Understanding open source and free software licenses. Understanding open source and free software licensing helps you make sense of the different options available to you. Understanding opensource and free software licensing medium. Open source software oss is a type of computer software in which source code is. Licensing is a major part of what open source and free software are all about, but its still one of the most complicated areas of law. Legal impacts of open source and free software licensing chapter 7. The commentary in the body of the book relates to the attributionsharealike 1. Most designers use open source software or code on a regular basis wordpress, drupal and many.
Free and open source software foss is often distributed in binary packages, sometimes part of gnulinux operating system distributions, or part of products distributedsold to users. Understanding licensing compliance for open source software. Pdf understanding open source and free software licensing. If youve held back from developing open source or free software projects because you dont understand the implications of the various licenses, youre not. This online book is intended for anyone considering using open source. In the interpretation of the fsf, open source license criteria focus 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. An overview of opensource software licenses and the. The mit, bsd, apache, and academic free licenses the mit and bsd licenses were two of the earliest open source licenses. An important distinction of both free and opensource software is that works based on free or open source source code must also be distributed with a. Mar 24, 2006 a complete guide to the law of open source for developers, managers, and lawyers.
In simple terms, the configured system consists of software components grey boxes in the figure that include a mozilla. Jul, 2006 when you develop an open source work or use an open source work, it is important that you understand the license. The open source community is vibrant because of this. Open source software relies on the concept of content licensing. If youre an open source free software developer, this book is an absolute necessity. Opensource license criteria focus on the availability of the source code and the ability to modify and share it, while free software and public. Software licenses, open source components, and open architectures. Understanding open source and free software licensing o. Solutions include desktop gis, geospatial database, geospatial server, and mobile data collection functions. Apr 17, 20 free software and open source software is more about free as in liberty rather than gratis.
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