Personal tools

Compatible licenses

From GPLv3 Wiki

This page centrally documents which licenses are compatible with the GPLv3, with an emphasis of noting which compatibilities changed since GPL version 2.

This list will influence the GNU project's license list.

Contents

GPLv2-compatible licenses

These licenses are compatible with the GNU GPL version 2.


GPLv2-incompatible licenses

These licenses are incompatible with the GNU GPL version 2.

GPLv3-compatible licenses

These licenses are compatible with the GNU GPL version 3.

GPLv3-incompatible licenses

These licenses are incompatible with the GNU GPL version 3.

  • GNU General Public License version 2 Most software distributed under the GPLv2 allows for the software to be distributed under later versions of the GPL. For specific instances, read the license notices for the software package.

Common reasons for incompatibility

When checking licenses for compatibility, here are some specific issues to look for that would make a license incompatible with GPLv3 (as of draft 2).

  • Requirements about attorney fees
  • Waiver of the right to trial by jury
  • Jurisdiction requirements (disputes must be settled in a certain country or in accordance with the laws of a certain country)

Licenses which are incompatible with GPLv3 for the above reasons include the Academic Free License, CDDL, CPL, EPL, Lucent Public License version 1.02, MPL, Open Software License.

References

<references/>