Monday June 04, 2007
Free and Open Source License Comparison
You can use this chart to compare the major attributes of the most popular Free and Open Source Software licenses. I have been researching the major licenses, and it's hard to keep the differences between them straight, at least for me, so I prepared this chart that you may find useful. Those of you who know about this subject, please feel free to offer comments. I will revise the chart from time to time in the light of what I learn from you.
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Project-based |
File-based |
Permissive |
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Licenses: |
GPL 2 |
LGPL 2.1 |
MPL 1.1 |
CDDL 1.0 |
CPL 1.0 |
ECLIPSE 1.0 |
APACHE 2.0 |
NEW BSD |
MIT |
| You may: |
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| Use |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Modify |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Distribute |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Link to other programs under at least some circumstances without creating a derived work |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| As an original author, specify that the same license version be used for future releases, rather than allowing them to use new license versions |
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Yes |
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| If you distribute you are required to: |
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| Make source code available |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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| Display copyright notice |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Provide copy of license |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Mark changes |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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| Disclaim warranty |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Disclaim liability |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| License modified files within the work under the same terms (“weak copyleft”) |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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| License larger derived works under the same terms (“strong copyleft”) |
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Yes |
Yes |
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| Indemnify earlier contributors when you offer a warranty of your own |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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| Grant licenses for all relevant patents you own |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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| If you distribute you are prohibited to: |
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| Assert patent claims against the work |
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Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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| Assert patent claims against contributors' other software |
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Yes |
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Yes |
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| Use the names of original authors or contributors in advertising without permission |
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Yes |
Yes |
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| Distribute if doing so would be subject to a third-party license |
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Yes |
Yes |
Unless you disclose |
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| Distribute if doing so would conflict with law or regulation |
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Yes |
Yes |
Unless you disclose |
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| Legend: |
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| GPL 2: GNU General Public License, Version 2 |
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Disclaimer: This chart is designed to provide information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is to be understood that the author is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional person should be sought. This chart is in no way intended to convey the official position of Sun Microsystems with regard to any software license. |
| LGPL 2.1: GNU Lesser General Public License, Version 2.1 |
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| MPL 1.1: Mozilla Public License, Version 1.1 |
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| CDDL 1.0: Common Development and Distribution License, Version 1.0 |
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| CPL 1.0: Common Public License, Version 1.0 |
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| ECLIPSE 1.0: Eclipse Public License, Version 1.0 |
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| APACHE 2.0: Apache License, Version 2.0 |
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| NEW BSD: The BSD License, 1999 version |
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| MIT: The MIT License |
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Update 6 June 2007: In response to the kind comment from Mads I have removed the "specify the same license version" clause as an attribute of the Apache License. I am beginning to think that Apache should really be classified as a Permissive license.
Posted by davidleetodd
( Jun 04 2007, 06:03:19 AM PDT )
Permalink
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Posted by Mads on June 04, 2007 at 01:47 PM PDT #