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Licensing - General and Linux

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10 views16 pages

Licensing - General and Linux

Uploaded by

eugenearmoh24
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Software Licensing and

Linux Licensing

Dr Eli Fianu
Topics
• What is a software license?
• Types of software licenses
Proprietary/Commercial
Open Source
Free
Dual
Software License
• A software license is a legal agreement between the owner or creator
of a software program and the user or licensee. The license outlines
the terms and conditions under which the software can be used,
copied, distributed, modified, and/or sublicensed.

• There are various types of software licenses: proprietary, open source,


commercial, and dual.
Proprietary license
• Restricts the use, modification, and distribution of software.
• It is often used by commercial software companies to protect their
intellectual property and to generate revenue from the sale of software.
• Examples: MS Windows, Adobe Photoshop, Oracle DB, QuickBooks,
AutoCAD, and Salesforce
Commercial software licenses
• Often used by software vendors who develop and sell proprietary
software products to customers.
• Provide the vendor with legal protection for their intellectual
property, and may also include provisions for technical support,
upgrades, and maintenance.
Open source license
• Allows users to access and modify the source code of software.
• It typically requires that any modifications or derivative works be
released under the same license.

The licenses under open source licensing are permissive and copyleft
software license
Permissive license
• A permissive license allows users to use, modify, and distribute
software with few restrictions. It typically requires that the original
copyright notice and license terms be included in any distribution.

Permissive licenses typically include the following provisions:


Redistribution: The license allows users to redistribute the software in
its original or modified form, either commercially or non-commercially,
without the requirement to release the source code.
Permissive license (cnt’d)
• Modification: The license allows users to modify the software and
distribute it under any license they choose, including a proprietary
license, without the requirement to release the modified source code.
• Patent license: The license may include a patent license, which grants
users a license to any patents that are necessary to use or distribute the
software.
• Warranty and liability: The license typically disclaims any warranty
and limits the liability of the software creator or owner in the event of
damages or losses arising from the use of the software.
Permissive license (cnt’d)
• Some examples of permissive software licenses include the MIT
License, the BSD License, and the Apache License.
Copyleft License
• A legal concept and a type of license used in the distribution of
software and other creative works.
• First developed by Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software
Foundation (FSF), as a way to ensure that software remains free and
open to all users.
• A type of copyright license that allows others to use, modify, and
distribute a work, provided that they grant the same rights to their
derivative works.
• Require that any derivative works or modifications of a copyleft-
licensed work must also be released under the same license terms.
Copyleft License (cnt’d)
• The most popular copyleft license is the GNU General Public License
(GPL)
• Used for a wide range of free and open-source software projects,
including the Linux operating system.
• The GPL is designed to protect the freedom of software users by
ensuring that they have the right to access and modify the source code
of the software they use.
Copyleft License (cnt’d)
• Mozilla Public License (MPL) is a copyleft license that allows users to
modify and distribute the software under certain conditions, but
requires that any modifications to the code be made available to the
public under the MPL.
Free software license
• A free software license allows users to use, modify, and distribute
software with no restrictions. The term "free" refers to the freedom to
use the software as one wishes, not necessarily to its cost.

• Free software licenses typically include four key freedoms that ensure
users have the ability to control the software they use:
Free (cnt’d)
1.The freedom to run the software for any purpose
2.The freedom to study how the software works and to modify it to meet
one's own needs
3.The freedom to distribute copies of the software to others
4.The freedom to distribute modified versions of the software
Dual software license
• A licensing model used for software that allows the software to be
released under two different licenses.
• This model is often used for open-source software to provide different
options for users who want to use the software, depending on their
specific needs or requirements.
• The software is typically released under both a proprietary license and
an open-source license

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