The asf and its projects release their software products under the apache license. The apache software license is quite liberal and allows for the code to used in commercial products. The long and short of itif you use open source software within your software development project, any permissive license should be fine. The software industry watchdog, the business software alliance, offers cash rewards to disgruntled employees who confidentially turn in their employer or exemployer for software. Companies providing support for apache guacamole are not endorsed by the apache software foundation, though some such companies do employ committers of the apache guacamole project. Its a popular and widely deployed license backed by a strong community. Microsoft public license code allowed in commercial product. Openssl is covered by one of two licenses, depending on which release is involved. Customer agreements preexisting the wso2 software license may be subject to the wso2 eula for updates. If not, what do i have to do to be allowed to sell my software. If you provide commercial support and would like your company to be listed, please send us an email, and we will work with you to do so. While the project strives to adhere to the preferred license, there are. These licenses help us achieve our goal of providing reliable and longlived software products through collaborative open source software development.
I know if software is licensed under bsd or mit they. Describes the ability to use the software for commercial purposes. Am i allowed to sell software that was written completely by myself except for the zxing library licensed under apache license 2. The goal of xampp is to build an easy to install distribution for developers to get into the world of apache. In the case of commercial use please take a look at the product licenses, from the xampp point of view commercial use is also free. The apache license is a permissive free software license written by the apache software foundation asf. This license does not grant permission to use the trade names, trademarks, service marks, or product names of the licensor, except as required for reasonable and.
However, note that commercial is not the same as proprietary. If you create a product that uses apache tomcat software or provides additional functionality to that software then. Can i use mit licence plugins in my commercial web site. Sell software that uses libraries licensed under apache. Apache licensing and distribution faq apache software.
Is there any difference in what i have to do to legaly use the material in my commercial product. It allows users to use the software for any purpose, to distribute it, to modify it, and to distribute modified versions of the software under the terms of the license, without concern for royalties. Apache software cannot be redistributed without attribution. In all cases, there is a file named license in the toplevel of the release. Open source licenses grant permission for anybody to use, modify, and share licensed software for any purpose, subject to conditions preserving the provenance and openness of the software. Most surveys indicate that the vast majority of open source projects use the mit license, the apache license, and the gpl or their variants. Can i use a apache v2 licensed driver for a commercial project without revealing sources of the project.
The full license text can also be accessed via the web from the apache licenses page. The apache license is a permissive free software license written by the apache software. If you receive software under an open source license, you can always use that software for commercial purposes, but that doesnt always mean you can place further restrictions on people who receive the software from you. If you were wondering whether you can use apache licensed code in your commercial applications and what do you need to do in order to comply with the license heres the unofficial simple ans short answer. Why are the license files for the different apache software foundation projects. Sell software that uses libraries licensed under apache licence 2. For example, the bsd license is a noncopyleft open source license. Products derived or modified from licensed software can be distributed under other licenses. Can asf pmcs host projects that are not under the apache license. It may be possible that other licensors using the apache 2. To apply the apache license to your work, attach the following boilerplate notice, with the fields enclosed by brackets replaced with your own identifying information.
However in most cases, its just as simple and always free at no cost to download the apache software directly. Word processors android apps ios apps commercial trademarked formerly proprietary formerly opensource community. The following licenses are sorted by the number of conditions, from most gnu agplv3 to none unlicense. This can induce people to donate a commercial codebase to the asf, allow it developed as open source for a time, and then convert it back to commercial use. Is this substantially different than the bsd or apache license. Can open source software be used for commercial purposes.
A reminder, however, that the terms of our license always apply. License apache directory studio apache software foundation. The android open source project aosp uses a few open source initiative approved open source licenses for our software. About xampp installers and downloads for apache friends. Use of these trademarks is subject to the terms of section 6 of apache license, version 2. Top 10 apache license questions answered whitesource. However, you must not name your product in a way that it looks like an endorsement from apache. You may distribute the executable form of the covered software under the terms of this license or under the terms of a license of your choice, which may contain terms different from this license, provided that you are in compliance with the terms of this license and that the license for the executable form does not attempt to limit or alter the. I think youre confused by the difference between the license under which code is distributed and the trademark of the name. This license does not grant permission to use the trade names, trademarks, service marks, or product names. The definition of legal entity in the apache license 2. The apache license is a permissive open source software license so you can release your modified version of the apache licensed product under any license of your choice. The apache license is an open source software license released by the apache software foundation asf.
If the limitations of the gpl are not acceptable to you as a commercial developer, then you may sell your product program together with a commercial mysql license. However, you must not name your product in a way that it looks like. The terms state that users cant remove existing, patent, trademarks and attribution notices. However, while using apache licensed software in your commercial product, you re still required to follow the terms and conditions that the apache license. Frequently answered questions open source initiative. This license does not grant permission to use the trade names, trademarks, service marks, or product names of the licensor, except as required for reasonable and customary use in describing the origin of the work and reproducing the content of the notice file. If its worth money to you its important to get your licensing right. When referring to apache tomcat software, please use the full name of apache tomcat for at least the first reference on any web page, help file or similar. Compliance costs and the apache license software license compliance costs the software industry watchdog, the business software alliance, offers cash rewards to disgruntled employees who confidentially turn in their employer or exemployer for software piracy. Can i sell a proprietary product based on commercial open.
Can i use an open source library licensed under apache. The apache license allows you to freely use, modify, and distribute any apache licensed product. Can i use a apache v2 licensed driver for a commercial project. In the case of apache openoffice, this license is the apache software license 2. When referring to apache tomcat software, please use the full name of apache tomcat for at. Jun 21, 2016 most surveys indicate that the vast majority of open source projects use the mit license, the apache license, and the gpl or their variants. All apache software is always available for free, and solely under the apache license. This may provide a useful service for certain users, for example for software distributed on a cdrom or a usb key.
Therefore, if a contributor includes the program in a commercial product offering, such contributor commercial contributor hereby agrees to defend and indemnify every other contributor indemnified contributor against any losses, damages and costs collectively losses arising from. The specific open source components and licenses in dockers commercial software products are listed below. An apache product is a body of software being developed. You can freely use, modify, distribute and sell a software licensed under the apache license without worrying about the use of software. They allow a user to build commercial software on top of open source software, or extend open source products, and declare their work as. The apache license does not place any restrictions on software that links to a plugin or library that is distributed under the apache license. Dockers open source components are generally licensed under the apache 2. An apache product is a body of software being developed by the asf that the asf intends. The apache license does not prohibit other organizations for selling apache software for money or for a profit. While our projects manage the technical implementation of their individual software products independently, apache software is released from the asf, and is. An apache product is a body of software being developed by the asf that the asf intends to both alter and to publish as a separate line of releases. Wso2 solutions are licensed according to the wso2 commercial license. To inspect the license terms please consult the license and notice files in the root directory of the distribution. Can i use a apache v2 licensed driver for a commercial.
Bsd3 clause style license with restrictions on trademark use and the requirement of. Apache fop comes with a number of libraries all of which are currently coming from within the apache software foundation. This license allows you to use the wso2 solution, associated documentation, and updates in the context of and within the term of your wso2 subscription. So if i release a closed source product, that includes a mit licensed piece of code. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. One has the gnu lgpl 3 license and the other has the apache software license, version 2. It is forbidden to develop a commercial product, such as a bookkeeping program, that is geared toward mysql as the database without making the code available in the open source sense. The asfs mission is to produce software for the public good. I am not sure whether or how to indicate changes in a binaryonly distribution, as apparently required by section b, but i suppose you could include that information in an about screen in your application. The form and manner of this apache software foundation distribution makes it eligible for export under the license exception enc technology software unrestricted tsu exception see the bis export administration regulations, section 740.
I think youre confused by the difference between the license under which code is distributed and the trademark of the. To make it convenient for developers, xampp is configured with all features turned on. Powered by a free atlassian confluence open source project license granted to apache software foundation. To apply the apache license to your work, attach the following. If someone wants to use parts of a code licensed under mspl and use it in a commercial product, is that allowed by mspl. Can i use an open source library licensed under apache license. If you are an asf pmc with a truly exceptional situation, please create a jira issue.
The lgpl on the other hand has the requirement that either the lgpl library links dynamically and can be replaced by a user or the entire work must be released under a gplcompatible opensource license. The apache and apache software foundation must not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without prior written permission. You must also not use any of the apache marks like the multicolored. Apache software license agreement terms and condition of. If you have some code you are thinking of releasing under an open source license, and you want a quick overview of the broadstrokes differences between these licenses, you have come to the right place. Describes the ability to modify the software and create derivatives. You must also not use any of the apache marks like the multicolored feather anywhere in your product or its documentation. The apache software foundation uses various licenses to distribute software and documentation, to accept regular contributions from individuals and corporations, and to accept larger grants of existing software products.
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