None on Your License

Apache License 2.0

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Apache 2.0 is a permissive license similar in spirit to MIT but with two key additions: an explicit patent grant from contributors, and an explicit requirement to document significant changes. It does not grant trademark rights.

The patent grant makes Apache 2.0 preferable for projects with many contributors or corporate sponsors — it reduces the risk of patent lawsuits against downstream users. Apache 2.0 is not compatible with GPL-2.0, but is compatible with GPL-3.0 and later.

BSD 3-Clause License

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

BSD 3-Clause is a short, permissive license that adds one constraint MIT does not: you cannot use the names of the original authors or contributors to endorse or promote products derived from the software without specific written permission.

In practice, the rules are nearly identical to MIT. Choose BSD-3-Clause if the no-endorsement clause is important to you or your project has historical BSD heritage.

How to apply

Add a LICENSE file with the full BSD 3-Clause text at the root of your project, filling in the copyright owner and year. Per-file SPDX headers are optional but common:

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

CC BY 4.0 is Creative Commons’ most permissive licence that still requires attribution. Anyone may share, remix, adapt, and build on the material for any purpose, including commercial, provided they give appropriate credit, link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.

It is a good default for text, images, video, and datasets when you want the widest possible reuse but still want recognition. For pure databases in the EU, ODbL-1.0 addresses sui generis rights CC BY does not fully cover.

ISC License

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

ISC is a permissive license produced by the Internet Systems Consortium. It is functionally identical to the simplified BSD license and the MIT license — use, modify, distribute, include the copyright notice — but uses even fewer words.

It is npm’s default license for new packages, which is why you’ll see it on a lot of small JavaScript libraries.

How to apply

Add a LICENSE file with the full ISC text, filling in the copyright year and holder. Per-file headers are optional but many projects add:

MIT License

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The MIT License is one of the shortest and most permissive open-source licenses. It lets anyone use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies of the software, provided they include the original copyright notice and license text.

It is a good default for libraries and frameworks you want adopted as widely as possible. If you care about protecting against patent claims from contributors, consider Apache-2.0 instead — the patent grant is the main difference.