Software Licenses
In this era, everyone uses softwares in their day to day life. Most of the time software products require activating licenses or agreeing to “terms and conditions” before programs can be downloaded, installed, or used. There are many types of software licenses, with different terms, support agreements, and restrictions. Users need to understand the basics of software licenses, to ensure the legal terms and limitations of those products.
So, what is a software license? A software license is a document that provides legally binding guidelines for the use and distribution. There are five commonly used software license types.
1. Public Domain License
Public domain is the license that anyone can modify and use the software without any restrictions. You should always make sure it’s secure before adding it to your own codebase. This is the most permissive type of software license.
2. Permissive License
A permissive license is a license that contains minimal requirements about how the software can be modified or redistributed. This is also known as “Apache style” or “BSD style”. This type of license is one of the most common and popular among open-source software licenses. The benefit is that software developers can retain their intellectual property and maintain some control over how their software is used while continuing to support open-source development and even licensing their product for free.
3. GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)
In the GNU Lesser General Public License, developers have rights to link to open source libraries within their own software. If you link an LGPL licensed library with your own code, you can release your application under any license you want, even a proprietary license. But if you modify the library or copy parts of it into your code, you’ll have to release your application under similar terms as the LGPL.
4. Copyleft License
Copyleft licenses are also known as reciprocal licenses or restrictive licenses. In the copyleft license, the licensed code may be modified or distributed as part of a software project if the new code is distributed under the same software license. For example, the license might say the work is free to use and distribute for personal use only. So any new software you develop that contains the component would also be limited to personal use only.
5. Proprietary License
A proprietary license is a license that makes the software ineligible for copying, modifying or distribution. This is the most restrictive type of software license and protecting the developer or owner from unauthorized use of the software. This means all rights are reserved.
Copyright Law
Copyright means the legal right of the owner of intellectual property. This means that the original creators of products and anyone they give authorization to are the only ones with the exclusive right to reproduce the work.
This allows the owners to protect their creative works against theft, they receive the benefit of economic rewards and the public receives the benefit of the creative works that might not otherwise be created or disseminated. Also, there are some limitations on the rights granted to owners. One thing is under certain circumstances, anyone can use a work without getting the copyright owner’s permission or paying the copyright owner to use it.
Ownership vs Licensing
Ownership confers all possible rights which means it carries liability for any use or misuse of the work or the material in it. The license confers a particular right or set of rights. However, representations and warranties are protecting and indemnifying the licensee from any claims arising from the copyrighted material. When original content is being created, the decision of whether to own or licensing will in large part be driven by the relationship between the parties.
I think you got a good idea about software licenses and copyright laws. Thank you very much for reading my article, and I hope to see you again with another article.
