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Questions tagged [licensing]

Licensing refers to applying a license to an area of software. Only use this tag if your question concerns the application of a license to an area of interest. If your question concerns a specific license, use the tag that corresponds to your license. For more general questions, use this tag.

A license is any notice that governs and rules a set of terms and conditions, outlining the rights of the licensee and licensor towards a certain area of interest or work.

Licensing refers to applying a license to a creative work, be it software, images, hardware, or any other licensable object.

A software license is a legally binding agreement that specifies the terms of use for an application and defines the rights of the software producer and of the end-user. -- source

Generally speaking, a license defines the terms and conditions under which a third party can make use of the licensor's intellectual property.

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What is the point of including the MIT copyright text if you use someone's code licensed under MIT?

I'm confused as to what this license really means. Say I have a large piece of software I plan on selling and keeping closed source. It makes use of several small resources that are under the MIT license. Do I just have to copy paste each MIT…
user2322082
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Are licenses irrevocable by default?

I've noticed that some FOSS licenses explicitly mention that they are irrevocable (as long as their conditions are met) and others are silent on this point. Does this matter? Are the licenses that don't mention it revocable at-will? Is the…
congusbongus
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Can you withdraw the license on an open source project so that even those who already have it can no longer use it?

I have just read this post in the KDE-mailinglist and then i wonder (generally): If someone has released his software under the terms of (for example) GPL or LGPL or something similar, can he withdraw the license for his product so that no one is…
anion
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Is a license recommended for a private repository or is it pointless?

I usually work with public open source repos and I am in the habit of adding a license.md file to such repos. However, I am currently working on a private repo and wondered whether a license.md file is recommended or whether its pointless given that…
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Can I force my work to be open sourced in the future?

Is there a mechanism or service that allows me to offer my work under non-free terms, but guarantee that some time in the future, the work automatically becomes open source? For example, could I release something under license A, but also under a…
congusbongus
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In 2018 if I use C++ Qt 5.10.0 to build a closed source application requires open source or commercial license?

I currently have a C# application that I want to convert over to Qt/C++ 5.10.0 but I am having an issue with QT licensing. This application is given away for free, but it has a service that the user can upgrade to gain more features but it's not…
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Can I open source my music which includes copyrighted sound effects?

If I compose a piece of music using instruments and sound effects that I don't own the copyright to (but am licensed to use), can I release my composition under a free/open license that allows derivatives, without violating one of the two: The free…
congusbongus
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If I am going to change the name of my open source project, what should I do?

I have been developing an open source project independently before, which is under Apache-2.0 License. With the deepening of development, the function of the project has been enriched, so I plan to modify the name of this project. But I don't know…
Jason Young
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Do I need a commercial license for the QT framework?

I'm a developer working for an automotive company and I'm currently developing a hardware testing tool which includes a graphical user interface built on the QT framework. The application will solely be used by employees of our company and is not…
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Can I quote stuff from a copyrighted piece of text and publish it open sourced?

Suppose I am writing an article for a website. I go to a website for research, and I find a piece of text I want to include. At the bottom of the website it says "Copyright website.com 2015". My questions: Am I allowed to copy this text if I…
Trevor Clarke
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What are the license obligations if just importing licensed code without modifying/distributing it

I plan open source some python script files which import from NumPy (BSD license), scikit-learn (New BSD License) and Keras (MIT license). However, I do not modify and/or redistribute (parts of the) code from those projects. I assume that the users…
user3389669
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Can you apply a license to a license?

I was wondering, are there rules regarding putting a license onto a license, for example if I had a license and I applied it with a license, in many cases this would cause a loop hole. Is there any way to fix this?
Trevor Clarke
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Are there open source licences that prevent advertising?

If code has a licence that allows sharing of modifications, is it possible to prevent it being hosted on a site that uses third party advertising? Do licences with this intent exist, or is it not possible to prevent advertising without losing the…
trichoplax is on Codidact now
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How should an Open-Source project that can be integrated into proprietary software be licensed?

Say I have a personal software project that I would like to be Open-Source. 100% of the source code for my version of that project is available online for everyone (e.g. on GitHub). I'd the like to grant/impose the following…
Nicolas Dumitru
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What methods could you use to prevent broken licensing links?

Suppose you have an open source piece of software. You decide you want to publish the software under an open source license. You spend time researching licenses online and finally you find the perfect one. My question: Are there any (better)…
Trevor Clarke
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