Open Source Software Licensing Page
- Some very interesting articles on free software licensing: history, forms, and problems, seen from a commercial view. Links to some license texts and important open source sites.
Affero - General Public License - Copyleft license, derived from the GNU-GPL, designed to protect software distributed as web services.
Against DRM 2.0 - A free copyleft license for artworks, which forbids DRM. Includes licence text, FAQ, and a few translations.
Apache Server Licenses - Overview of the different versions of the Apache licenses.
Apple: Apple Public Source License (APSL) - Apple's license for software released as source code.
The Artistic License - Perl package license.
Bixoft Public License - A proposal for an Open Source license that clearly distinguishes between software programs and programming tools.
BSD: 4.4BSD Copyright - License for 4.4BSD.
BSD: FreeBSD Copyright - License for FreeBSD operating system.
BSD: NetBSD Licensing and Redistribution - License patterned after FreeBSD Copyright.
BSD: OpenBSD Copyright Policy - License and background on Berkeley Computer Systems Research Group copyrights.
Christian Software Public License (CSPL) - Christianized variant of BSD license.
Creative Commons - A non-profit that offers an alternative to full copyright. Offering work under a Creative Commons license does not mean giving up copyright. It means offering some of an author's rights to any taker, and only on certain conditions.
Debian Social Contract - License for Debian GNU/Linux.
E Licenses - Mozilla or Mozilla compatible, for E programming language.
eCos License Overview - Summary of license for Red Hat eCos operating system.
Eiffel: ISE Free Eiffel Library License (IFELL) - For the EiffelBase library.
Freshmeat - Listings of browseable licenses and articles.
GNU Free Documentation License - A version of the GPL for reference material.
GNU General Public License (GPL) - One standard for licensing free software.
GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) - Formerly: GNU Library GPL.
GNU: List of Licenses - Various licenses and comments about them.
IBM - Common Public License (CPL) - Open source software license.
LaTeX Project Public License - Particularly suited for TeX-related programs.
Liberal Source Software (LSS) - Hybrid licensing model, between free and commercial software licenses.
License information for Xinu software - License for the XINU operating system
Lua Copyright notice - From Brazil, programming language framework.
Lucent Technologies, Inc. - Plan 9 Open Source license agreement
Mozart License Agreement - Mozart: an implementation of Oz 3 programming language.
Mozilla and Netscape Public Licenses - Describes the licensing policy of the Mozilla Foundation, with the full texts of the various licenses, and FAQs.
Mozilla Public License Version 1.0 - Follows the Debian Free Software guidelines.
MySQL - Complex hybrid license: public domain, GPL, LGPL, Open Source, commercial.
Open Group Public License - Open Motif Graphical GUI Software, Public End User License.
Open Source Initiative - Licenses - Copies of licenses approved by the Open Source Initiative.
OpenSource.org: Open Source Definition - Not a license itself, but a definition of what conditions a license must fulfill in order to be termed an Open Source license.
PHP Licence Information - Covers licensing issues for developers distributing applications in PHP. Includes links to annotated version of the relevant licenses and other related resources.
Quick Reference Guide - A chart comparing attributes of major licenses, including the option to select your bias.
RTEMS License Information - RTEMS open source real-time operating system uses GNU Public License (GPL), except for some special, very limited exceptions.
Ruby License - Dual terms: use GPL terms or its own terms.
Squeak License - License for the Squeak software suite, mainly provided by Apple.
Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing - Full text of the book by Andrew M. St. Laurent. [PDF]
Vita Nuova Inferno Subscription License - Fee based, partly open source, for Lucent network OS.
W3C IPR Software Notice - W3C = World Wide Web Consortium, one of the Internet's main standard-setting bodies.
x-kernel Copyright Notice - Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona.
Zope Public License (ZPL) - Patterned after Apache license.
- Some very interesting articles on free software licensing: history, forms, and problems, seen from a commercial view. Links to some license texts and important open source sites.
