Open-source license agreement: GPL/lgpl/BSD/MIT/Apache/CC

More and more developers and designers want to open their own products
Source, so that others can do more on the basis of their code, the open-source community is also full of vigor. In all the application fields we can think of, there are open source software (like
WordPress, Drupal, and other open-source CMS ). However, many people do not know about open-source licenses. This article describes several license protocols commonly used in the open-source field and their differences.

What is a license agreement?
What is license? When you issue a license for your product, you are transferring your rights. However, you still have copyrights and patents (if you have applied for a license). The purpose of the license is, provide certain permissions to users who use your product.

Whether the product is distributed to the public for free or sold, it is very useful to develop a license agreement. Otherwise, for the former, you give up all your rights, no one is obligated to indicate your original author's identity. For the latter, you will have to spend more energy than development to handle user authorization issues one by one.

And open-source license agreement


To make these things simple, developers can easily contribute their own code to a project. It can also protect the identity of your original author, so that you can at least get recognized, the open-source license agreement also prevents others from listing a product as their own. The following are the five major license protocols in the open source community.

GNU GPL

GNU General Public Licence


(GPL) may be the most common license mode in the Open Source Field. GPL guarantees the rights of all developers and provides users with the right to copy, distribute, and modify:

• Free Replication
  
  You can copy the software to your computer, your customer's computer, or anywhere. There is no limit on the number of copies.
• Free Distribution
  
  Download from your website, copy it to a USB flash drive, or print the source code out of the window (please do not do this for environmental protection ).
• Can be used for profit
  
  You can pay when distributing software, but you must provide the gnu gpl license agreement for the software to your customers before the fee is paid, so that they can know, they can get the software for free from other channels, as well as the reasons for your charges.
• Freely changeable
  
  If you want to add or delete a function, it's okay. If you want to use some code in another project, the only requirement is, projects that use this code must also use the GPL protocol.

Note that the source code and binary files must be clearly provided during distribution. In addition, some protocols used for certain programs have some problems and restrictions. You can take a look at @ pierrejoye.


Practical Guide to GPL compliance


Article. To use the GPL protocol, you must include the relevant information in the source code and the Protocol itself.

GNU lgpl

GNU also has another protocol called lgpl (lesser General Public Licence


In general, lgpl is applicable to open-source class libraries or frameworks for non-GPL or non-open-source products. Due to GPL requirements, GPL protocol must also be used for products that use GPL code. Developers are not allowed to use GPL code for commercial products. Lgpl bypasses this restriction.

BSD

BSD imposes fewer restrictions on Software Delivery than other open source protocols (such as gnu gpl. The Protocol has multiple versions. The major versions include two. The new BSD Protocol and the simple BSD Protocol. These two protocols have been modified and are compatible with GPL and are recognized by open-source organizations.

In terms of software distribution, the new BSD Protocol (3 Clause agreement) has no restrictions except for a copyright notice or disclaimer. In addition, the Agreement prohibits the developer from being endorsed as a derivative product, but the simple BSD agreement deletes this provision.

MIT

MIT Protocol


It can be the loose of several open-source protocols. The core terms are as follows:

The software and its related documents are free to everyone and can be disposed of at will, including use, copying, modification, merging, publishing, distribution, re-authorization, or sales. The only restriction is that the software must contain the aforementioned copyrights and tips.

This means:

• You can freely use, copy, modify, and use it for your own projects.
• It can be distributed for free or used for profit.
• The only restriction is that the license statement must be included.

The MIT protocol is the loose of all open-source licenses. It must include a license statement without any restrictions.

Apache

Compared with other open-source protocols, Apache 2.0 provides users with a copyright license and a patent license. for developers involved in the patent content, this Protocol is most suitable (here is an article about this issue.


).

The Apache protocol must be described as follows:

• Permanent rights
  
  Once authorized, it is permanently possessed.
• Worldwide rights
  
  Authorization in one country applies to all countries. If you are in the U. S., your license is authorized from India.
• Free authorization with no royalty
  
  No fees are incurred in the early and later stages.
• No exclusive authorization
  
  Anyone can be authorized
• Authorization irrevocable
  
  No one can cancel the authorization. For example, if you develop a derivative product based on the product code, you do not have to worry about being banned from using the code one day.

The distribution code includes some requirements, mainly because the developer should be recognized in the statement and contain the original license agreement.
Creative Commons
Creative Commons (CC) is not a strictly open source license. It is mainly used for design. Creative Commons has multiple protocols, each of which provides the corresponding authorization mode. The CC protocol mainly contains four basic forms:

• Signature Right
  
  It must be signed by the original author before modification, distribution, and replication can be performed.
• Consistent
  
  Works can also be modified, distributed, and copied on the basis of the CC protocol.
• Non-commercial
  
  Works can be modified, distributed, copied, but cannot be used for commercial purposes. However, the definition of business is vague. For example, some people think that non-commercial purposes mean that they cannot be sold, and some think that they cannot even be placed on websites with advertisements, some people think that non-commercial products mean non-profit.
• New works cannot be derived
  
  You can copy, distribute, but cannot modify or create your own work on this basis.

These license forms can be used together. The most severe combination is "signatures, non-commercial use, and new works cannot be derived", which means you can share the work, but you cannot change or make a profit, and must be the original
The author's signature. In this license mode, the original author still has full control over the work, and the loose combination is "signature", meaning that as long as the original author is signed, it can be freely disposed.
Extended Resources

• Creative Commons licenses
  
  
  
  Official Terms and explanations of the creative common license
• Open Source Initiative
  
  
  
  Including various open source Protocol resources
• Open Source Licenses comparison
  
  
  
  Comparison of mainstream open-source protocols
• Understanding Open-source licensing
  
  
  
  Open-source protocol details
• How to: Pick an open source license
  
  
  
  How to select different open source protocols

PS: I have concerns about the use of open-source software in terms of authorization. It is clear now ~~~