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Questions tagged [mit]

For questions pertaining to the MIT/Expat license or the MIT/X11 license.

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252 votes
3 answers
152k views

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 ...
G.Rassovsky's user avatar
  • 3,117
41 votes
2 answers
22k views

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 ...
Ionică Bizău's user avatar
39 votes
3 answers
26k views

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.
Andrew Savinykh's user avatar
35 votes
10 answers
9k views

Do Open Source Licenses allow authors to corrupt their own code, like in the colors.js case?

I was seeing a lot of news about the colors.js library. I would like to know if the open source license entitles the developer of the colors.js library to make it dysfunctional and create the damage ...
DonJuancDeveloper's user avatar
32 votes
2 answers
24k views

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 ...
user avatar
29 votes
4 answers
14k views

I am using a MIT licensed module in a closed source consumer device. What are my obligations? [duplicate]

I am working on a piece of embedded software for a consumer device. For a small part of the software, we are using a third-party library that is licensed under the MIT license. As the MIT license ...
Bart van Ingen Schenau's user avatar
28 votes
11 answers
9k views

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 ...
Ryan Leach's user avatar
27 votes
4 answers
4k views

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 ...
Abhi Beckert's user avatar
  • 2,914
27 votes
1 answer
1k views

Ramifications of the proposed new SE licensing model

Like many other people I read this meta post. Since I don't really understand what is at stake I became confused and worried. Does this mean that I can legally force any organization to let me see ...
Erik's user avatar
  • 381
27 votes
1 answer
7k views

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 ...
Marqin's user avatar
  • 455
24 votes
2 answers
9k views

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. ...
Evorlor's user avatar
  • 469
24 votes
1 answer
29k views

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 ...
xzcv's user avatar
  • 253
23 votes
5 answers
9k views

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 ...
Flo's user avatar
  • 333
23 votes
1 answer
10k views

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 ...
user2375667's user avatar
22 votes
2 answers
11k views

License that requires attribution to end users?

I'm looking for an open source license that requires attribution to end users. Thus far, I've looked at the MIT license and Apache 2.0. But I am not convinced that they require attribution to end ...
J.A.P's user avatar
  • 323
21 votes
4 answers
5k views

Can the MIT license be applied to music?

If not, are there any other good options for me to effectively allow use by everyone for almost any reason? I'd prefer to take a hands-off approach as opposed to attempting to place anything in the ...
Onkoe's user avatar
  • 311
21 votes
2 answers
3k views

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 ...
hfossli's user avatar
  • 313
21 votes
1 answer
4k views

Forking GitHub repository (MIT): what references to the original author should remain intact?

I'll pick one of the most popular React boilerplates as an example here. Assume I've forked it (the commits history till the fork date remains intact). According to the text of MIT license, the only ...
stkvtflw's user avatar
  • 379
20 votes
2 answers
6k views

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 ...
CupOfTea's user avatar
  • 303
20 votes
1 answer
13k views

What should be written in MIT license (year, full name)?

I am creating an open source project and I want to use an MIT license for that. I have found this page: http://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/ What should I write under "full name"? Should the group ...
jackson's user avatar
  • 303
19 votes
2 answers
8k views

How do the years specified in a copyright statement work?

Given that it is about to be or already is 2018, I now notice I have a few open-source projects licensed with MIT, where each one of them states: Copyright (c) <years> <name> Does this ...
totallyhuman's user avatar
18 votes
3 answers
968 views

Obtaining MIT licence for own plugin

I wrote a simple plugin in JavaScript and I want to put it on GitHub for people to download and use it freely. I saw many people include MIT licence in a file. How can I obtain the MIT licence? Do I ...
user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
8k views

Can I relicense my own GPL code into Apache/MIT? [duplicate]

Suppose that I distribute my own code with a GPL license, even though the code use just external MIT or Apache code. In particular, no preexisting GPL code is in it. Can I later relicense it under ...
Rexcirus's user avatar
  • 307
18 votes
1 answer
4k views

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 ...
ProGamerGov's user avatar
17 votes
3 answers
8k views

What if somebody removed my name from MIT license

Case: I developed a software and uploaded it to Github with MIT license. To apply the license, I created a LICENSE file with MIT license preamble (as mentioned in choosealicense.com) Somebody cloned(...
Mrigank's user avatar
  • 173
17 votes
2 answers
19k views

How to apply MIT license in the GitHub repo for fully free project?

I have a public repository for an open source project on GitHub. It's main goal is to make this code available to anybody (including myself) who may what to use it, for free, for all the time, with ...
Pavel K's user avatar
  • 223
17 votes
1 answer
7k views

Is there any particular reason to license docs with CC BY 4.0 rather than MIT?

MIT license can be used for "software and associated documentation files". But a few big open source projects licensed under MIT (for example, dotnetcore, reactjs), explicitly use Creative Commons ...
iGrey's user avatar
  • 179
16 votes
4 answers
3k views

My code is GPL licensed, can I issue a license to have my code be distributed in a specific MIT licensed project?

If I own a GPL-licensed software that is used as a component in other peoples user-facing software, can I issue a separate license so that my software can be used in a popular MIT licensed project? In ...
Fredrik's user avatar
  • 171
16 votes
4 answers
4k views

If someone purchases a MIT license for code that is otherwise GPLv3, may they redistribute it? May they upload it on Github?

A fellow developer has done something that has made me curious, he has a popular javascript front-end package on GitHub which for years was licensed under MIT, then all of a sudden he released a v2 ...
vesperknight's user avatar
16 votes
1 answer
1k views

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 ...
Toothbrush's user avatar
16 votes
1 answer
5k views

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 ...
linuxuser's user avatar
  • 163
15 votes
2 answers
5k views

Is it legal to remove a contributor's name from the licence?

User Mark makes repository A and releases the code under the MIT license with their name in the license. User Jeff forks the repository makes some improvements and adds their name to the license file (...
ICE_Plane's user avatar
  • 153
15 votes
1 answer
2k views

Has the MIT license been "Battle tested" in court?

The GPL has been pertinent to several court cases. We know it is strong because it has been "battle-tested". Can the same be said to be true for the MIT license?
Frames Catherine White's user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
4k views

Since some software is open source, can you add a feature you created and use it for your own personal use?

For example, if I want to add a bunch of lines in VS code using a single command and say I'm able to build this feature, can I use this on my version of VS code without the community acceptance?
Awshaf Ishtiaque's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
7k views

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 ...
Rick's user avatar
  • 323
14 votes
1 answer
3k views

Can I remove payment requirement part of a MIT licensed library

A library I have used has recently introduced a payment requirement, i.e buy a license code and enter it to be able to use the library. The library is however still MIT licensed. Would it be legal to ...
John's user avatar
  • 243
14 votes
3 answers
5k views

What is the use of attaching a license like WTFPL?

I've been checking out the different licenses and I came around WTFPL. I understand the basic intention of the license. But how much appropriate is this license to use for any work? It says, You ...
Prajwal's user avatar
  • 380
14 votes
2 answers
5k views

MIT License Violation caused by copying source code partially or fully

I have a project on GitHub licensed under MIT. Some other person contributed to another unknown-to-me organisation on GitHub two months ago with a commit which copies a part of my code with just a few,...
VP.'s user avatar
  • 243
14 votes
1 answer
4k views

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 ...
Misha Gale's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
3k views

MIT-licensed project with CC-BY-SA dependency

I have a project (code) that I am wanting to license as MIT. It has a few dependencies, mostly assets (icons and images). Some dependencies are MIT and I include their licenses in the source, but a ...
notme1560's user avatar
  • 243
13 votes
5 answers
10k views

What prevents a large company with deep pockets from rebranding my MIT project and killing me off?

I'm planning to start an MIT licensed project for a Web Server like Apache and Nginx, but primarily targeting the Windows Platform. Those that don't understand open source software are calling me ...
user1034912's user avatar
  • 1,245
13 votes
2 answers
6k views

If my repository uses a MIT license, can I submit a DMCA takedown for someone who copied it?

I have an MIT-licensed repository which has been copied entirely, just replacing the author's name. I've heard that MIT takes away most copyright and permits free use, but if anyone can copy code and ...
user18915229's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
4k views

Can I change the license of a forked project to the MIT if the license of the parent project has changed from the GPL to the MIT?

Some time ago I have forked a project on the GitHub that used the GNU GPL v3 license. So I also had to use the GPL license in my fork. Recently, the author of the original project changed license to ...
Nina Lisitsinskaya's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
4k views

Is it possible to include a shorter form of a license if the license would be longer than the content licensed?

For example, Gists on GitHub don't have a field to track the license that they are available under. You can simply choose to create a public Gist or a secret (private) Gist. Many of the open source ...
Thomas Owens's user avatar
  • 1,792
13 votes
1 answer
3k views

Proper way of “migrating” MIT-licensed code to Apache 2.0 License

I am building a software which I plan to release with Apache 2.0 License and some components are code based from a repository released with MIT License. MIT License states: "The above copyright ...
cjbayron's user avatar
  • 233
12 votes
3 answers
7k views

If I fork a lib that is MIT / Apache 2.0 dual license, can I change it to CC0 for redistribution?

A lot of our projects are CC0 licensed and I had been researching across the web to find any information regarding the legalities of this, and to retain the original author's moral rights. I have not ...
joshuajbouw's user avatar
12 votes
4 answers
5k views

Which license suits best when you want users to contribute to your code and not just take it as free beer

Which License is best suited for my open source project. I am developing a web app (a template like) that has potential use in real life applications but also learning outcomes. I would like people to ...
Sachihiro's user avatar
  • 231
12 votes
3 answers
1k views

Am I in danger if a project component is relicensed?

I am currently managing a project, which includes a library that is licensed under the MIT license. My current project is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license. The maintainers of the library that I ...
Zizouz212's user avatar
  • 6,590
12 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does a copyright notice in a file header affect the licensing?

I'm a little confused about the licensing. In the LICENSE file it says that the repository is under MIT license. But in the header of some js files there is a copyright notice with apache-2.0. Does ...
WhiteCherry's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
5k views

Should I use my own license in a fork of another GitHub repository, which I've revamped completely?

Background I am the owner of an open-source theme for Hugo named hugo-dream-plus which, as the name implies, is an upgraded version of hugo-theme-dream. Note that hugo-theme-dream is licensed ...
Utkarsh Verma's user avatar

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