Licenses are the silent architects of digital goods, quietly shaping how we share and build upon ideas. From the open arms of licenses like GNU GPL to the flexible permissions of Creative Commons, they empower creators and users, fostering collaboration and progress. They offer structure, guiding us towards a future where knowledge is shared and cultivated for everyone’s benefit.
This is why open source is the beating heart of innovation, where ideas flourish and boundaries blur. By embracing transparency and collaboration, open source democratizes access to technology, empowering people and communities to shape the digital future. Supporting open source isn’t just about software; it’s about embracing a culture of sharing, learning, and collective growth. It’s about fostering creativity without constraints, driving progress that transcends individual interests. So, whether you’re a developer, a user, or simply a believer in the power of open collaboration, supporting open source is a vote for a more inclusive, sustainable future where knowledge is freely accessible to all. Here’s some of the most common types of licenses used, open source and not so open :)
Public Domain Mark (PD)
- The work identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.Publicly Available
Public Domain Dedication (CC Zero)
- CC Zero enables scientists, educators, artists and other creators and owners of copyright- or database-protected content to waive those interests in their works and thereby place them as completely as possible in the public domain, so that others may freely build upon, enhance and reuse the works for any purposes without restriction under copyright or database law.Publicly Available
Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY)
- This is the standard creative commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with your work.Publicly Available
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA)
- This creative commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires you to release all derivative works under this same license.Publicly Available
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs (CC-BY-ND)
- The no derivatives creative commons license is straightforward; you can take a work released under this license and re-distribute it but you cannot change it.Publicly Available
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC-BY-NC)
- A creative commons license that bans commercial use.Publicly Available
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC-BY-NC-SA)
- A creative commons license that bans commercial use and requires you to release any modified works under this license.Publicly Available
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)
- The most restrictive creative commons license. This only allows people to download and share your work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.Publicly Available
Artistic License 1.0
- NOTE: This license has been superseded by the Artistic License, Version 2.0. This is a license for software packages with the intent of giving the original copyright holder some measure of control over his software while still remaining open source. It is flexible and allows you to distribute or sell modified versions as long as you fulfill one of various conditions. Look at section 4 in the full text for a better explanation.Publicly Available
Artistic License 2.0
- This is a license for software packages with the intent of giving the original copyright holder some measure of control over his software while still remaining open source. It is flexible and allows you to distribute or sell modified versions as long as you fulfill one of various conditions. Look at section 4 in the full text for a better explanation.Publicly Available
GNU General Public License 2 or later (GPL-2.0)
- You may copy, distribute and modify the software as long as you track changes/dates of in source files and keep all modifications under GPL. You can distribute your application using a GPL library commercially, but you must also disclose the source code.Publicly Available
GNU General Public License 3 (GPL-3.0)
- You may copy, distribute and modify the software as long as you track changes/dates of in source files and keep modifications under GPL. You can distribute your application using a GPL library commercially, but you must also provide the source code. GPL 3 tries to close some loopholes in GPL 2.Publicly Available
Affero General Public License 3 (AGPL-3.0)
- The AGPL license differs from the other GNU licenses in that it was built for network software. You can distribute modified versions if you keep track of the changes and the date you made them. As per usual with GNU licenses, you must license derivatives under AGPL. It provides the same restrictions and freedoms as the GPLv3 but with an additional clause which makes it so that source code must be distributed along with web publication. Since web sites and services are never distributed in the traditional sense, the AGPL is the GPL of the web.Publicly Available
Mozilla Public License 2.0
- This is a lenient license used by the Mozilla Corporation that allows you a variety of explicit freedoms with the software so long as you keep modifications under this license and distribute the original source code alongside executables. It is a good midway license; it isn’t very strict and has only straightforward requirements.Publicly Available
GNU Library or “Lesser” General Public License 2.1 or later (LGPL-2.1)
- You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that modifications are described inside the modified files and licensed for free under LGPL-2.1. Derivatives or non-separate (statically-linked) works of the software must be licensed under LGPL, but separate, parent projects don’t have to be.Publicly Available
GNU Library or “Lesser” General Public License 3.0 (LGPL-3.0)
- You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that modifications are described inside the modified files and licensed for free under LGPL-2.1. Derivatives or non-separate (statically-linked) works of the software must be licensed under LGPL, but separate, parent projects don’t have to be. LGPL 3 tries to close some loopholes in LGPL 2.1.Publicly Available
Eclipse Public License 1.0 (EPL-1.0)
- This license, made and used by the Eclipse Foundation, isn’t all too stringent and gives both copyright and explicit patent rights. Check the full text of the license to see how liability is accorded.Publicly Available
Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL-1.0)
- This is a very permissive and popular license made by Sun Microsystems that also includes explicit patent grants. It is relatively simplistic in its conditions, requiring only a small amount of documentation for redistribution (applying to source as well as modified code).Publicly Available
The MIT License (MIT)
- A short, permissive software license. Basically, you can do whatever you want as long as you include the original copyright and license.Publicly Available
The BSD 3-Clause “New” or “Revised” License (BSD)
- The BSD 3-clause license allows you almost unlimited freedom with the software so long as you include the BSD copyright notice in it. “Use trademark” in this case means you cannot use the names of the original company or its members to endorse derived products.Publicly Available
The BSD 2-Clause “Simplified” or “FreeBSD” License
- The BSD 2-clause license allows you almost unlimited freedom with the software so long as you include the BSD copyright notice in it.Publicly Available
Apache License 2
- A license that allows you much freedom with the software, including an explicit right to a patent. “State changes” means that you have to include a notice in each file you modified. Publicly Available
Furthermore, the licenses that are considered open source, that are free use, modify, and distribute - software or creative works, with varying degrees of restrictions are:
- Public Domain Mark (PD)
- Public Domain Dedication (CC Zero)
- Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY)
- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA)
- Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs (CC-BY-ND)
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC-BY-NC)
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC-BY-NC-SA)
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC-BY-NC-ND)
- Artistic License 1.0 (superseded by Artistic License 2.0)
- Artistic License 2.0
- GNU General Public License 2 or later (GPL-2.0)
- GNU General Public License 3 (GPL-3.0)
- Affero General Public License 3 (AGPL-3.0)
- Mozilla Public License 2.0
- GNU Library or “Lesser” General Public License 2.1 or later (LGPL-2.1)
- GNU Library or “Lesser” General Public License 3.0 (LGPL-3.0)
- Eclipse Public License 1.0 (EPL-1.0)
- Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL-1.0)
- The MIT License (MIT)
- The BSD 3-Clause “New” or “Revised” License (BSD)
- The BSD 2-Clause “Simplified” or “FreeBSD” License
- Apache License 2
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Just a reminder that you can get thr Bitcoin Source code from SourceForge, here: Bitcoin Source Code