Frequently Asked Questions

What is an open-source software license?

An open-source software license generally grants the licensee the right to use, reproduce, modify, and distribute software in source code form for free. Certain nonprofit organizations – such as the Open Source Initiative and the Free Software Foundation – have published definitions of open-source licenses that have some general acceptance in the technology industry.

For example, the criteria for open-source software licenses under the definition the Open Source Initiative has published includes, in relevant part, the following:

  • Permission to redistribute the software.
  • Permission to access the software’s source code, and permission to distribute source code as well as object code.
  • Permission to create modifications and derivative works of the software.
  • The licensed rights extend to all recipients/users of the applicable software.
  • Rights granted are not conditioned on the use of the licensed software in specific products, technologies or interfaces.