Currently Available Software Licenses

In the world of software, licensing is a critical concept that controls how software can be used, modified, and distributed. Understanding the different types of software licenses is essential for developers, companies, and users to ensure compliance and make informed decisions. This article will explore what a software license is, the general types of licenses available, and some specific licenses that fall under these categories. Additionally, we will discuss the implications of copyright law, the difference between ownership and licensing, and how these concepts interrelate.

What is a Software License?

A software license is a legal document that provides guidelines, rights, and restrictions on how software can be used, modified, and distributed. It serves as a contract between the software creator (or copyright holder) and the user. The primary purpose of a software license is to protect the intellectual property of the developer while allowing users to utilize the software within defined boundaries.

Types of Software Licenses

Software licenses come in different forms, each offering different levels of freedom and control to users.

In general, we can classify them into two main categories:

• Proprietary Licenses— Proprietary licenses are a type of software license that puts certain limitations on how you can use, modify, and distribute the software. These licenses are typically designed to protect the intellectual property of the software’s creator or owner. Proprietary software typically requires users to purchase copies or obtain permission to use the software, the permissions on what can and cannot be done regarding the software are within the license agreement.

Examples include commercial software like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, etc.

• Open Source Software Licenses — An open source software license gives users the freedom to use, modify, and distribute software and its source code freely. These licenses encourage collaboration and community involvement and allow anyone to view, modify, and share improvements.

Examples of open-source licenses include the GNU General Public License (GPL), MIT License, Apache License, etc. Popular open-source software includes Linux, Firefox, LibreOffice, etc.

In addition to the general categories, there are several other types of software licenses that provide different levels of permissions and restrictions. These include:

• Public Domain License — When a work is in the public domain, no one holds the copyright, allowing anyone to freely copy and use it. Although the original author can place their work in the public domain, this does not change their authorship. Public domain works can be incorporated into new copyrighted works, but this does not affect the availability of the original public domain work. While releasing something into the public domain makes it “free,” using a license might be preferable because it can impose useful restrictions for both the copyright holder and recipients.
• Lesser General Public License — The Lesser General Public License (LGPL) allows developers to link LGPL-licensed libraries with proprietary or non-copyleft software, avoiding the requirement to open-source their entire projects, unlike the GNU General Public License (GPL). This flexibility makes LGPL-licensed code appealing for projects aiming to keep their source code proprietary while benefiting from open-source libraries. Also, some unique algorithms are released under the Lesser General Public License (LGPL), allowing developers to distribute their libraries for use with both open-source and proprietary software.
• Permissive — A permissive license is a type of software license that allows for extensive freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software, with minimal restrictions. These licenses typically grant users the right to use the software for any purpose, to modify it as they see fit, and to distribute modified versions, often without requiring those modifications to be open-sourced. Examples of permissive licenses include the MIT License and the BSD License.
• Copyleft — Copyleft licenses are a type of software license that aims to ensure that every user has the freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software and its derivatives, while also ensuring that those freedoms are preserved for others in the future. These licenses require that any modified or derived works be distributed under the same copyleft terms. In essence, copyleft licenses use copyright law to achieve the opposite effect of traditional copyright — instead of restricting users, they aim to ensure that users’ freedoms are preserved and extended.
• Proprietary — This is the most restrictive license type. A proprietary license is a type of software license that grants specific rights to the software’s owner or creator while restricting others from using, modifying, or distributing the software in ways not clearly permitted by the license terms. These licenses typically retain exclusive ownership of the software and its source code with the original creator or organization.

Copyright Law

Copyright law is the legal framework that protects the rights of creators over their original works, including software. It grants the copyright holder exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, and create derivative works based on the original software. These rights can be transferred or licensed to others through a software license. Copyright law ensures that creators are compensated for their work and that their intellectual property is protected from unauthorized use. Violations of these rights may have legal consequences.

Ownership vs Licensing

It’s important to distinguish between ownership and licensing. Because when it comes to software, the distinction between ownership and licensing is often misunderstood. One common misconception is that purchasing software equates to owning it. When you purchase software, you are not buying the software itself; rather, you are buying a license to use the software under specified conditions. Ownership remains with the creator or the copyright company. This distinction is important because it affects what you can legally do with the software, including whether you can modify, distribute, or resell it.

Here’s a clear breakdown:

• License: Users are granted specific rights to use the software as defined in the license agreement. They do not own the software and must abide by the terms of their license.
• Ownership: The software creator or publisher has the ownership of the software’s intellectual property. They have the authority to enforce license terms and protect their rights under copyright law.

Conclusion

Understanding software licenses is crucial for both users and developers. For users, it ensures compliance with legal terms and prevents potential legal issues. For developers, it protects their intellectual property and defines how their software can be used and shared.

In this article, I hope you get a basic idea about currently available Software Licenses.

References:

1. Fogel, K. (n.d.). Producing Open Source Software. O’Reilly Online Learning. https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/producing-open-source/0596007590/ch09.html
2. Lutkevich, B., & Lebeaux, R. (2021, October 14). software license. CIO. https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/software-license