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What is copyright licence type to select in order to make the code free for the public in all possible ways.

Is "The MIT License" the best option?

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closed as not constructive by Bo Persson, gnat, raven, mindas, Ziyao Wei Mar 11 '13 at 22:19


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4 Answers

up vote 11 down vote accepted

Releasing your code as public domain is the best way to make it free for all possible ways. SQLite is a well-known public domain library (they have a page that explains their license).

Having said that, code that is in the public domain can be simply taken by anybody else and they can call it their own. This is why there exist free licenses like GPL/BSD/MIT/etc where you retain some semblance of ownership over the work.

Personally, I prefer licenses like BSD or MIT because they aren't as restrictive as the GPL. The GPL has a lot to say about what the user of the code can and can't do with it.

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Can you provide any links? –  bovium Nov 7 '08 at 20:19
Another link is: creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain –  Neil Williams Nov 7 '08 at 20:20
MIT is provided by codeplex to me it is good enough. But what is your opinion? –  bovium Nov 7 '08 at 20:21
As noted in the Wikipedia article to which you link, there are international legal issues with "public domain". Organizations tend to prefer a specific license so they know what the rules are. –  brian d foy Nov 7 '08 at 20:47
The problem with public domain is that you may still be liable for problems caused by the code! Ironically to get around this you have to retain copyright (use a licence) and state that you are not liable. –  richq Nov 7 '08 at 20:49
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MIT License is pretty close to being public domain, though it does require people to include the license itself, so it's slightly more restrictive. Do you want to force people using your software to give you credit for it? More restrictive than that is the LGPL, which is self-propagating. The GPL is even more restrictive, but will make your software less prone to use in commercial code.

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I what to giver some credit to the people that contribute to the source. Thats reasonable enough. –  bovium Nov 7 '08 at 20:25
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If you're goal is to make your code as useful and available to everyone in the world, choose a particular liberal license that explicitly gives people the right to use your work. Organizations with legal departments like explicit licenses, and people want licenses that work in their jurisdiction.

Although Greg mentioned SQLite, he didn't point out that they acknowledge on their license page the problem of public domain and how it doesn't work everywhere for everyone and every use. Public domain actually limits some people, so they also sell licenses. Furthermore, take a look at the Creative Commons FAQ for CC licenses haven't been ported to my jurisdiction (country). What can I do? for more information on international problems with licenses.

If this is something other than a casual decision for you, such as releasing a huge code base formerly owned by a Big Company, you might want to get a real IP lawyer rather than ask a bunch of programmers. :)

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Check out some of the summarizes of licenses on line (see this question for links). Just don't write your own!

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