Questions tagged [license]
This tag is used for concerns about licenses to software and what rights one grants.
30 questions from the last 365 days
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to attribute which parts of the code are authored by someone else?
I have borrowed some lines of code (suppose just 20 lines of a function) from a GitHub repository that is licensed under the MIT License. I plan to use these lines in my personal project.
Is it ...
- 185
10
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Is it allowed to use web APIs exposed in open-source code?
I often find web projects on GitHub where the author has included their private web API in the code. Is it reasonable to use the author's publicly available web API from the perspective of community ...
- 103
4
votes
1
answer
58
views
Can I modify Apache 2.0 project and license the modifications under AGPLv3?
I have forked a Apache 2.0 repository on github that has not been active for years. I have made modifications to the files. I want to release the modifications under a different license (Apache ...
- 143
5
votes
1
answer
448
views
Need Help Regarding Licensing for Samsung Kernel Sources
I'm planning to push Samsung Kernel Source to GitHub and need some guidance on the appropriate licensing. Specifically, I'm wondering:
What license should I use for the Samsung Kernel Source?
Can I ...
- 161
2
votes
1
answer
66
views
If LGPL 2.1 source code is in my project. Does the whole project need to be LGPL? Or just the class that call it?
I'm relatively new to library licenses and come from a game development background.
I'm developing an open-source game development tool that directly includes the source code of an LGPL 2.1 library.
...
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How to ensure a BSD licensed open source project is not closed in the future?
Reading previous discussion I see that it is possible to release binaries under BSD license without releasing the code: Release a BSD-licensed but closed-source program?
However, can a BSD licensed ...
- 452
1
vote
1
answer
49
views
CERN-OHL-P 2.0: include notices in proprietary project
CERN-OHL-P 2.0 requires to keep notices when modifying Covered Source:
3.3 You may Convey modified Covered Source (with the effect that You shall
also become a Licensor) provided that You:
a) retain ...
- 33
1
vote
1
answer
111
views
Please help me choosing license for open hardware project
I need a license that:
a) allows distribution remixes under different license;
b) allows any usage of the project, even for commercial purposes;
c) requires original author attribution;
d) suitable ...
- 33
3
votes
1
answer
154
views
License for a program containing Numpy with PyInstaller
We are developing a program that uses NumPy 2.0. We plan to package this program into an exe with PyInstaller and distribute it.
I ran "pip show numpy" and found a description that included ...
- 33
3
votes
0
answers
59
views
How can I properly bundle open source licenses?
I have made an open source app that is licensed under GNU GPL V3.0. I have dependencies that use the MIT, Apache 2.0 and CC-0 licenses. How can I properly include the license info in my app? Is it ...
- 31
2
votes
2
answers
153
views
Different and conflicting licenses in one repository
Let me ask you directly using an example: there is a repository LINK that has a top-level LICENSE file with the Apache license.
However, in the source files there is this note:
This Page can only be ...
- 930
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Splitting LGPL License into certain folders/files
So my project tree is
Root:
Client
Java
Server
C
LICENCE
README.md
and I licensed it under LGPL v2.1, so my question is, Is it possible to put the LICENCE inside Server/C and inside Client/Java (...
3
votes
1
answer
195
views
What is the default license of a project build on top of SpringBoot?
I am from a small private for-profit company, let us call it CompanyA for this example.
We are using a popular java framework called SpringBoot to build our software on top of it.
The license of ...
- 83
4
votes
0
answers
95
views
What is the correct license of Computer Modern fonts and its derived works?
I wonder the licenses of Computer Modern fonts and its derived works. Wikipedia says Computer Modern is under the SIL Open Font License but the CTAN's Computer Modern page says under the Knuth License....
- 41
6
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Does Licensing open-source prevent me from selling the product?
In the last question I asked, I found out that open-source licenses are always letting people use your code/product commercially. This means that they can technically sell the product.
Does this mean ...
- 71
0
votes
1
answer
247
views
What is a Modification in MPL 2.0
In the case of a Software Project under Mozilla Public License (MPL) version 2.0.
Given that I want to extend the Covered Software through a bigger Project.
The following is an example where File A is ...
- 35
1
vote
1
answer
107
views
Accessing source code of an original work open source licensed
In open source licenses, there are different requirements regarding the original work and the derivative one.
While I understand that for some permissive licenses, there is not a requirement to ...
- 61
3
votes
2
answers
627
views
What is a Modification in GPL 2.0
Given that I want to extend the Covered Software through a bigger Project.
The following is an example where File A is part of the Covered Software and any subsequent files are not part of the ...
- 35
0
votes
1
answer
331
views
License header for code licensed as GPL 3 only
The text of the GNU GPL 3 license ends with a section titled "How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs", which states that you should include a license notice within each source file, ...
- 188
0
votes
1
answer
153
views
Licensing my project derived from MIT and AGPL-3 licensed projects
So I wish to take some lead in development of my app based on projects that were not active for 4 and 2 years. One of them is MIT licensed and other has AGPL-3 license. If I were to add my own code ...
- 53
3
votes
1
answer
284
views
When does (A)GPL license come into effect when loading a shared GPL-licensed library and how long does the effect last?
I've a very specific question.
I was reading: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLPlugins
And wondered about the following.
My main program uses a permissive license that is compatible with ...
-2
votes
1
answer
483
views
Google's ML Kit
Hi I want to use google's ML Kit for my SDK offering to my customer. Is it open source? I don't find any license attached to it. Also it is like a black box that goes along with our offerings and uses ...
17
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Is it legal to distribute GPL software compiled with a nonfree compiler?
Suppose there is a GPL program.
Say I used a closed source "compiler" to build it.
In building so, I pulled in a proprietary library, but I considered it part of my compiler.
Because the ...
- 313
5
votes
1
answer
404
views
Correct license for dataset if source data has different licenses
I want to create a new dataset which I want to publish on e.g. Hugging Face. I plan to have multiple versions with different licenses, depending on which data I used.
I now wondered whether I can ...
- 193
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
When updating a package version, what should the license year be?
When creating a new R package version under an existing MIT licence, should the year be [creation_year], [current_year] or [creation_year - current_year]?
- 71
3
votes
2
answers
361
views
What if I don't open-source my code after using a copyleft public repo?
I plan to build an app based on a public repo with a copyleft license (AGPL-3.0 license). I don't want to open-source my own code (my own code will just server and front-end code, which are built on ...
- 39
9
votes
1
answer
122
views
LGPL and AGPL combo - how?
I'm writing a library and I want to license it so that if you modify and use it, even at a network service, you will need to disclose the modified source code of the library (as in the AGPL) but it ...
- 313
4
votes
0
answers
184
views
Patent encumbrances on CRYSTALS-Kyber?
NIST claims that they “[have] entered into” an agreement with the holders of patents US9246675/EP2837128B1 and US9094189B2/EP2537284B1, to allow people to implement and operate the Kyber cryptosystem— ...
0
votes
0
answers
137
views
Why don't people want to pay/donate for my software?
Apologies if this is no the correct forum for my question - it looked like good fit though!
I have some software ( www.rgraph.net ) that I used to sell - thus it was commercial. This was OK for a few ...
- 117
2
votes
2
answers
183
views
My OS project's API looks similar to another one
I've been experimenting with databases.
I like the idea of Collection-Document relationships.
My project looks like this:
const client = new Client("localhost", 8080, "project")
...
