What type of open source software licenses exist and what are their

differences?

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In this article, we will explain what open-source software is, what software licenses are, the
types of open-source software licenses that exist, and provide some examples of public
domain software licenses, permission licenses, copyleft licenses, attribution licenses, and
patent licenses.

Tabla de Contenido

1 What is open-source software?

2 What are software licenses?
3 What types of open-source software licenses exist?
4 Public Domain Open-Source Software Licenses
5 Permission Open-Source Software Licenses
6 Copyleft Open-Source Software Licenses
7 Attribution Open-Source Software Licenses
8 Patent Open-Source Software Licenses

What is open-source software?

Open-source software is a type of software whose source code is public and can be modified,
studied, and used by anyone without restrictions on intellectual property or licensing.

Unlike proprietary software, which is developed and maintained by a company or individual

who maintains exclusive control over its source code, open-source software is based on a
community of developers and users who collaborate to improve the software and distribute it
for free.

Open-source software can be used in a variety of applications, from operating systems to

business applications and development tools. Some examples of open-source software
include the Linux operating system, the MySQL database, and the Mozilla Firefox web
browser.

Open-source software is attractive to many companies and organizations because it allows

for greater flexibility and customization, as well as a higher degree of transparency and
confidence in the security of the software. Additionally, being developed by a community of
users and developers, open-source software can be improved and updated more quickly and

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 What type of open source software licenses exist and what are their
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efficiently than proprietary software.

What are software licenses?

Software licenses are legal agreements that regulate the use, distribution, modification, and
ownership of software. These agreements establish the terms and conditions under which the
software can be used and, in some cases, also establish the obligations of the licensee in
relation to the software.

Software licenses can vary in terms of their scope and restrictions. Some licenses allow free
use of the software, while others require payment of a fee. Some licenses may also allow the
redistribution or modification of the software, while others may prohibit these activities.

Some of the most common software licenses include:

Proprietary software license: This type of license grants the user the right to use the
software, but the software owner retains ownership of the source code and copyrights.
The user cannot redistribute or modify the software.
Public domain software license: In this case, the owner waives their copyrights and
allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute the software without restrictions.
Open-source software license: This license allows for free distribution, modification,
and use of the software. The source code is also publicly available for anyone to
examine and improve.
Free software license: This is a specific form of open-source license that focuses on
ensuring that the software can be used, modified, and distributed without restrictions. It
also states that any derivative software must also be free.

It is important to carefully read and understand the terms of any software license before
using or distributing the software.

What types of open-source software licenses exist?

There are several types of open-source software licenses, each with its own conditions and
requirements. Here are some of the most common types of open-source licenses:

Public domain software licenses: This license allows anyone to use, modify, and
distribute the software without restrictions or additional requirements.
Permission licenses: This license, also known as a BSD-type license, allows users to
use, modify, and distribute the software without restrictions but requires attribution to

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 What type of open source software licenses exist and what are their
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the original work.

Copyleft licenses: These licenses, also known as GNU-type licenses, include the GNU
General Public License (GPL) and the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). These
licenses require that any derivative work of the original software must also be published
under the same license, ensuring that the software remains open source.
Attribution licenses: These licenses, such as the GNU Free Documentation License
(GFDL), allow users to use, modify, and distribute the software but require attribution to
the original author.
Patent licenses: These licenses, such as the Apache License, grant a license for any
patents related to the software and allow users to use, modify, and distribute the
software under certain conditions.

It is important to carefully read the conditions and requirements of each license before using
any open-source software to ensure compliance with the obligations and responsibilities
required by each one.

Public Domain Open-Source Software Licenses

Some examples of public domain software licenses are:

Creative Commons Zero (CC0): This license allows anyone to use, modify, and
distribute the software without restrictions or additional requirements.
Unlicense: This license is similar to the CC0 license and allows users to use, modify,
and distribute the software without restrictions or additional requirements.
WTFPL (Do What The F*ck You Want To Public License): This license allows
anyone to use, modify, and distribute the software without restrictions or additional
requirements and also allows the use of more informal and direct language in the
license text.

It is important to note that using a public domain license means that the author waives their
intellectual property rights to the software, allowing anyone to use, modify, and distribute the
software without the need for permission or providing attribution to the original author.

Permission Open-Source Software Licenses

There are several types of permission licenses (also known as BSD-type licenses), but here
are some common examples:

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 What type of open source software licenses exist and what are their
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3-clause BSD License: This license allows users to use, modify, and distribute the
software without restrictions, as long as attribution to the original author is provided,
and a copyright notice is included in all copies of the software.
2-clause BSD License: This license is similar to the 3-clause license but does not
require a copyright notice to be included in all copies of the software.
MIT License: This license allows users to use, modify, and distribute the software
without restrictions, as long as attribution to the original author is provided, and a
copyright notice is included in all copies of the software.
Apache License: This license allows users to use, modify, and distribute the software
without restrictions, as long as attribution to the original author is provided, a copyright
notice is included in all copies of the software, and a notice of any changes made to the
software is included.

It is important to note that each permission license has its own conditions and requirements,
and it is important to carefully read the terms of the license before using any software.

Copyleft Open-Source Software Licenses

There are several copyleft licenses, also known as GNU-type licenses. Here are some
common examples:

GNU General Public License (GPL): This license ensures that any derivative software
of the original software must also be published under the same license, meaning the
software will always be open source. It also requires the source code of the software to
be provided, and a copyright notice to be included in all copies of the software.
GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL): This license is similar to the GPL but
allows the software to be linked to libraries or programs that are not open source,
meaning the final software may not be open source. However, any changes made to the
original software must still be published under the same license.
Mozilla Public License (MPL): This license allows users to use, modify, and distribute
the software without restrictions, as long as any changes made to the original software
are published under the same license. It also allows the software to be linked to
libraries or programs that are not open source.

It is important to note that each copyleft license has its own conditions and requirements,
and it is important to carefully read the terms of the license before using any software.

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 What type of open source software licenses exist and what are their
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Attribution Open-Source Software Licenses

There are several attribution licenses, also known as Creative Commons licenses. Here are
some common examples:

CC-BY (Attribution): This license allows users to use, modify, and distribute the
original work and any derivative works, as long as attribution to the original author is
provided.
CC-BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike): This license allows users to use, modify, and
distribute the original work and any derivative works, as long as attribution to the
original author is provided and any derivative works are published under the same
license.
CC-BY-ND (Attribution-NoDerivs): This license allows users to use and distribute the
original work, as long as attribution to the original author is provided, and no
modifications are made to the original work.
CC-BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial): This license allows users to use, modify,
and distribute the original work and any derivative works, as long as attribution to the
original author is provided, and the use of the work is non-commercial.

It is important to note that each attribution license has its own conditions and requirements,
and it is important to carefully read the terms of the license before using any copyrighted
work.

Patent Open-Source Software Licenses

There are several types of patent licenses, but here are some common examples:

Exclusive Patent License: This license grants the patent holder exclusive rights to
use the patented invention and excludes others from using it. The patent holder can
grant licenses to third parties to use the patented invention.
Non-Exclusive Patent License: This license grants one or more parties the right to
use the patented invention in a specific territory and for a specific period of time. The
patent holder can grant non-exclusive licenses to multiple parties.
Cross-License: This license is an agreement in which two or more parties mutually
grant licenses to use each other’s patented inventions. This is often used in the
technology industry to protect against potential patent infringement claims.

It is important to note that each patent license has its own conditions and requirements, and

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 What type of open source software licenses exist and what are their
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it is important to carefully read the terms of the license before using any patented
technology.

Finally, in the case of the platforms provided by TecnoSoluciones.com, most of them and
their functional modules are provided with Copyleft GNU GPL licenses.

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