Questions tagged [mit]
Use this tag for questions pertaining to the MIT/Expat license or the MIT/X11 license.
100
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Combining code written under different licenses (Eiffel Forum License, MIT and Apache), what are my options?
So I'm new to all this licensing jazz, and I've just started work on a project I'd like to one day publish as open source.
I've found a couple of projects so far that have code to accomplish stuff ...
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38
votes
2
answers
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MIT license and "All rights reserved."?
I recently saw something like this:
Copyright (c) Some Corporation
All rights reserved.
MIT License
...
And then the MIT license follows. Now, from what I know the MIT license is one of the most ...
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36
votes
3
answers
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If I'm using a GPL 3 library in my project, can I license my project under MIT license?
If I'm using a library that is licensed under GPL v3 in my project, can I license my project under the MIT license? I tried to read the GPL v3 text but I cannot understand it without your assistance.
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31
votes
2
answers
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Where to put license for MIT licensed code on website
I'm a freelance web developer building a site for a client. I found some code I'd like to use on CodePen which uses the MIT License. As far as I understand the license, I can use the code freely on my ...
Tom
232
votes
3
answers
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What are the essential differences between the BSD and MIT licences?
There are many articles out there which cover the topic in length and breadth, but so far I haven't found a nice, concise answer to the question.
What are the most important differences between the ...
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16
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1
answer
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If I translate/port a repository from one programming language to another, do I need to use the license file (Github) from that original project?
If I translate/port a repository from one programming language to another, do I need to use the license file (Github) from that original project? Or can I use my own license file.
I intend to use the ...
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8
votes
2
answers
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Which author/copyright holder "type" is allowed in the MIT license? Pseudonym, Company name, ...?
In many licenses you have to (or can?) state who is the author of the project, which is the one who "owns" the intellectual property (= the copyright holder). In the MIT license it e.g. is said like ...
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20
votes
2
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How should I assert copyright when I'm forking an MIT project?
I have an open source software project licensed under MIT.
The MIT License (MIT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Håvard Fossli
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any ....
I found ...
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17
votes
5
answers
5k
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Is there a license like MIT that explicitly forbids the use of AI?
I am aware that the licenses of e.g. code on Github are currently not observed when training AIs and that there are licenses such as AGPL that require the code to be disclosed. But is there already a ...
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14
votes
2
answers
6k
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Why doesn't the MIT license have "patent use" permission?
From https://choosealicense.com/licenses/ and https://choosealicense.com/appendix/ I notice that the MIT license doesn't have "patent use" permisson like other popular open source licenses.
What ...
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10
votes
2
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855
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What license do I apply to my software if parts of its code is derived from MIT licensed open source software?
This is the first time I'm handling licenses and could use some guidance in this matter.
I have developed a piece of Java software where parts of the code is derived from different classes licensed ...
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6
votes
1
answer
840
views
I am using a MIT licensed module in a closed source project. What are my obligations?
I am using diverse module under the MIT license in my project. The project consist of a webserver, which will be closed source, commercial, and will not be distributed.
As I understand the MIT ...
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1
vote
1
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700
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Several beginner questions about using MIT-licensed code
I recently made this website, hosted on Github. (Repo)**
The website uses multiple MIT-licensed (or similar licenses) 'code':
Several SVG icons from Wikimedia commons (Icon 1, Icon 2, Icon 3).
Code I ...
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16
votes
1
answer
1k
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Can I make typographical changes to the MIT license?
If I make some typographical changes to the default MIT license, does it still count as the MIT license?
Example
Copyright (c)© [year], [organisation]
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to ...
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9
votes
1
answer
2k
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Adding feature to an Apache v2 package
I'm working on one npm package based on another one but with another approach, this package is licenced under Apache v2 and I want to use MIT. After some use of my package I've noticed I need to use ...
9
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2
answers
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How can I use an MIT license for code but protect the copyright of photos in my repository?
My project is a fork of a project that comes with the MIT license and nobody wants to change the license that applies to the software. However, some of the content that is also stored on GitHub is not ...
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9
votes
1
answer
481
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How should I re-license the scaffold code for my new application? (it is licensed under MIT)
If you notice the following scaffold starter kit source code is licensed under MIT throughout the code base. Even the configuration file contain a header of MIT licensed by the creator.
Assuming, I ...
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8
votes
2
answers
2k
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What is the appropriate way to include third-party libraries copyright notice and permission notice in my project source code?
I am writing a web app based on react framework and I am using npm package manager. Together with transitive dependencies I have about 800 MIT licensed dependencies. To comply with MIT, do I need to ...
7
votes
1
answer
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If I license software under the MIT license, will I be able to collect patent royalties?
The GPLv2 and GPLv3 has anti-patent clauses.
The GPLv2 patent clause is "liberty or death":
For example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program by all ...
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6
votes
1
answer
841
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Re-implementing MIT licensed software in another language
I have re-implemented a library in Golang which was originally in Python.
The original Python library carries an MIT license, which gives me "without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge,...
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2
votes
1
answer
747
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BSD-3, third clause clarification
Neither the name of the [organization] nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
What's this ...
1
vote
1
answer
335
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can I remove files and folders in a PHP package without violating its license?
Let's say I'm working on a PHP application and I want to integrate some PHP packages like TWIG. Using Composer or some other automated management or code assisting technologies is irrelevant here. All ...
27
votes
4
answers
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License for code snippets?
I share small snippets of code with friends, and would like to post them online for others to use.
I'm not sure of the best license?
I was thinking MIT, but it includes this clause:
The above ...
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27
votes
9
answers
8k
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Can I modify an open source license to require that I be notified?
I often use the MIT license for my projects.
But recently I've had the thought that I really would like to be notified if someone forked my software, whether it's for personal use, released or not I ...
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26
votes
1
answer
6k
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How much is "substantial portion" in MIT licence?
MIT license says:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
How much is that substantial portion?
For ...
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14
votes
1
answer
3k
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How to licence a project which includes MIT, BSD, Modified BSD, and New BSD libraries
I've been working on a project for a while, and I'm almost ready to release it, but I've been more concerned with getting it to build than legal considerations, and now I'm not at all sure where I ...
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14
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1
answer
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Relicensing an MIT licensed project under the GPL that has non code contributions from others
I have an Android Game I've written that I released under the MIT license. Recently, there have been several people who have downloaded the source of my application, added ads and uploaded it to the ...
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11
votes
2
answers
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Does the MIT license's right to "sublicense" allow me to change the license of someone else's work?
I understand that, generally speaking, you may not issue a license on a copyrighted work if you do not own the copyright to that work. Licensing is an exclusive right of the copyright holder. Instead, ...
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11
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3
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How should you put attribution into your project?
When you're copying open source from another project (not simply linking), how should you provide attribution in your source repo? I've copied some things into my code base that are probably not ...
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10
votes
2
answers
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Who will be the copyright owner of a new file in a forked repository on github?
Let's say there is a MIT Licensed repository on github, then by definition all the files that belongs to the repository is owned by the copyright holder of the repository.
But if I fork the project ...
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10
votes
1
answer
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What license options do I have for licensing ported source code?
If, I port Ruby on Rails (licensed under MIT) from Ruby to Java what license options do I have? Would I have to use MIT or a compatible license?
user2594
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votes
3
answers
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Does reading code and re-implementing the logic, and releasing under your name count as a licensing violation of MIT?
I'm not clear on what counts as a "copy" in the case of code.
If I read your code, that was MIT licensed, implement a similar logic on my own and use no code fragments from the original author, does ...
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6
votes
2
answers
364
views
Can I move an in-line license to a file?
I am currently using a library that is licensed under MIT.
Each file of the library has a in-line comment containing the standard MIT license text in full length, which is kind of repetitive in my ...
5
votes
1
answer
3k
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What's the usual procedure when using MIT or BSD-2-Clause licensed source code with something like `<script src="…`, `require(…` or `import …`?
This is not a legal question. It might touch the legal aspects around Open Source licenses but I need general help understanding how they work and what the usual procedure is.
Part 1 of my question: ...
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5
votes
1
answer
952
views
Release code with MIT dependencies under GPL
I am creating a game and want to release the code under a copyleft license (GPL 2 or 3).
So far, so good, but there are multiple MIT-licensed library dependencies.
Can I still release my code under ...
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5
votes
2
answers
425
views
Do I retain right to my extension's logo if I use MIT Licence in my Firefox extension?
I created a Firefox extension and put its code on GitHub. The code includes the logo of my extension for use as its icon. I created the that logo myself.
I want to build my portfolio and thus want to ...
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5
votes
1
answer
1k
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Best way to include GPL-licensed code in an MIT-licensed library
I am currently developing a Python library under an MIT license (let's call it mylib). I have, however, come across what may be a minor hurdle. I want to include an optional GPL-licensed dependency.
I ...
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4
votes
1
answer
683
views
What type of notices and licenses do I need to add when adding (and modifying) code from an Apache 2.0 codebase to my own MIT codebase?
I want to add code from an Apache 2.0 software to my own code base which is MIT. I know that generally these are compatible but my worry is how to add the Apache 2.0 code with the appropriate ...
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4
votes
2
answers
217
views
What is the way to handle a project that is a mix of software and non-software items?
Our project is partly software, and partly 3d models and images. To me, the language of the MIT license, which specifically refers to software, doesn't really seem applicable to the parts that aren't ...
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3
votes
2
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572
views
License notice for BSD and MIT licenses
Should I put the complete text of BSD or MIT license to every file?
For longer licenses like GPL or MPL, there is a license notice. It is relatively short text that says what license is selected for ...
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3
votes
1
answer
1k
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Is the MIT license suitable for documentation?
On choosealicense.com, there's a section that says:
Any open source software license or open license for media (see above) is applicable to software documentation
This implies that the MIT license ...
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3
votes
1
answer
124
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How would I go about crediting another project who uses the MIT licence, in my project for which I also use the MIT licence
I found an implementation of the RIPEMD160 algorithm on GitHub, which I followed when writing my own implementation. Hence, I personally would consider my work to be a modification/derivative of this ...
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3
votes
1
answer
287
views
I'm developing a library. Is there a license similar to GPL3 that doesn't force a license change for the project?
If an open source project is licensed under MIT, I want them to be able to use my library without changing their license to GPL3.
However I still want developers of proprietary applications to make ...
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3
votes
1
answer
516
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Android App for commercial use depended on some GitHub projects with MIT licence
Where should I put the licencing information for the Android App if it is dependent on some GitHub projects with MIT licence .
Users are going to see the user interface of the finished app, where ...
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2
votes
1
answer
335
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MIT notice in firmware for devices with no user interface
The MIT license says:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
In case of proprietary software, there is usually ...
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2
votes
1
answer
618
views
How to put Copyright notice If I use several other code bases (MIT)
If I use piece of code from some other repo which is under MIT licence I can directly use/show their Copyright info in my repo. That part is OK.
But what happenes if I get several pieces of code from ...
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votes
1
answer
991
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Can i use MIT licensed library in my GPL3 project
I'm writing a library that I want to use in my GPL3 main project and I wonder if I can license the library using the MIT license.
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votes
2
answers
8k
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Can I sell my MIT-licensed software if it is modified by others?
Suppose I create some software from scratch. I sell the software, but I also keep it open source under the MIT License. Someone forks my repository and makes some great improvements to my software. ...
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22
votes
1
answer
9k
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Using GPL library with MIT licensed code
Let's say I created a project containing hundreds of source files under the MIT License (most of which I wrote myself for this project). Now I want to add a GPL library to the project, that will be ...
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20
votes
1
answer
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How to use MIT license in a project?
Let's say i used a MIT program as a base for a new project, and modified about 50% of the program files.
How should i specify that the program is a derivative work?
Do i need to keep track of every ...
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