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The '''Apache License''' is a [[free software license]] authored by the [[Apache Software Foundation]] (ASF). The Apache License requires preservation of the [[copyright]] notice and [[disclaimer]], but it is not a [[copyleft]] license — it allows use of the source code for the development of [[proprietary software]] as well as [[free software|free]] and [[open source software]].
The '''Apache License''' is a [[free software license]] authored by the [[Apache Software Foundation]] (ASF). The Apache License requires preservation of the [[copyright]] notice and [[disclaimer]], but it is not a [[copyleft]] license — it allows use of the source code for the development of [[proprietary software]] as well as [[free software|free]] and [[open source software]].


All software produced by the ASF or any of its projects or subjects is licensed according to the terms of the Apache License. Some non-ASF software is licensed using the Apache License as well. As of July 2009, over 5000 non-ASF projects located at [[SourceForge.net]] are available under the terms of the Apache License.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=401|title=Projects at SourceForge under Apache License|accessdate=April 15, 2008}}</ref> In a blog post from May 2008 Google mentioned that 25% of the 100,000 projects then hosted on Google Code were using the Apache License.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://google-opensource.blogspot.com/2008/05/standing-against-license-proliferation.html|title=Standing Against License Proliferation|accessdate=October 24, 2009}}</ref>
All software produced by the ASF or any of its projects or subjects is licensed according to the terms of the Apache License. Some non-ASF software is licensed using the Apache License as well. As of July 2009, over 5000 non-ASF projects located at [[SourceForge.net]] are available under the terms of the Apache License.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=401|title=Projects at SourceForge under Apache License|accessdate=April 15, 2008}}</ref> In a blog post from May 2008 [[Google]] mentioned that 25% of the 100,000 projects then hosted on Google Code were using the Apache License.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://google-opensource.blogspot.com/2008/05/standing-against-license-proliferation.html|title=Standing Against License Proliferation|accessdate=October 24, 2009}}</ref>


== Version history ==
== Version history ==

Revision as of 00:17, 2 March 2010

Apache License
The Apache logo
AuthorApache Software Foundation
Latest version2.0
PublisherApache Software Foundation
PublishedJanuary 2004
Debian FSG compatibleYes[1]
FSF approvedYes[2]
OSI approvedYes
GPL compatibleYes - GPLv3[2]
CopyleftNo
Linking from code with a different licenceYes
Websitewww.apache.org/licenses/ Edit this on Wikidata

The Apache License is a free software license authored by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). The Apache License requires preservation of the copyright notice and disclaimer, but it is not a copyleft license — it allows use of the source code for the development of proprietary software as well as free and open source software.

All software produced by the ASF or any of its projects or subjects is licensed according to the terms of the Apache License. Some non-ASF software is licensed using the Apache License as well. As of July 2009, over 5000 non-ASF projects located at SourceForge.net are available under the terms of the Apache License.[3] In a blog post from May 2008 Google mentioned that 25% of the 100,000 projects then hosted on Google Code were using the Apache License.[4]

Version history

The Apache License 1.0 was the original Apache License which applies only to older versions of Apache packages (such as version 1.2 of the Web server).

The Apache License 1.1 was approved by the ASF in 2000: The primary change from the 1.0 license is in the 'advertising clause' (section 3 of the 1.0 license); derived products are no longer required to include attribution in their advertising materials, but only in their documentation.[5]

The ASF adopted the Apache License 2.0 in January 2004. The stated goals of the license included making the license easier for non-ASF projects to use, improving compatibility with GPL-based software, allowing the license to be included by reference instead of listed in every file, clarifying the license on contributions, and requiring a patent license on contributions that necessarily infringe a contributor's own patents.[5]

Licensing conditions

Like any free software license, the Apache License allows the user of the software the freedom to use the software for any purpose, to distribute it, to modify it, and to distribute modified versions of the software, under the terms of the license.

The Apache License, like the BSD license, does not require modified versions of the software to be distributed using the same license (in contrast to copyleft licenses). In every licensed file, any original copyright, patent, trademark, and attribution notices in redistributed code must be preserved (excluding notices that do not pertain to any part of the derivative works); and, in every licensed file changed, a notification must be added stating that changes have been made to that file.

If a NOTICE text file is included as part of the distribution of the original work, then derivative works must include a readable copy of these notices (again, excluding notices not pertaining to any part of the derivative work), in at least one of three places: within a NOTICE text file distributed as part of the derivative works, within the source form or documentation, or within a display generated by the derivative works (wherever such third-party notices normally appear). The contents of the NOTICE file do not modify the license, as they are for informational purposes only, and adding more attribution notices as addenda to the NOTICE text is permissible, provided that these notices cannot be understood as modifying the license. Modifications may have appropriate copyright notices, and may provide different license terms for the modifications.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any contributions submit by a licensee to a licensor will be under the terms of the license without any terms and conditions, but this does not precede any separate agreements with the licensor regarding these contributions.

GPL compatibility

The Apache Software Foundation and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) agree that the Apache License 2.0 is a free software licence, compatible with version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPL). [6]

However, the Free Software Foundation considers all versions of the Apache License (as of 2007) to be incompatible with the previous GPL versions 1 and 2.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ "The Apache Software License (ASL)". The Big DFSG-compatible Licenses. Debian Project. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Apache License, Version 2.0". Various Licenses and Comments about Them. Free Software Foundation. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
  3. ^ "Projects at SourceForge under Apache License". Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  4. ^ "Standing Against License Proliferation". Retrieved October 24, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Licenses - The Apache Software Foundation". Retrieved July 7, 2007.
  6. ^ "Various Licenses and Comments about Them". Free Software Foundation. January 14, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  7. ^ Apache Software Foundation. "Apache License v2.0 and GPL Compatibility". Retrieved January 30, 2008.
  8. ^ "GPLv3 Final Draft Rationale". Free Software Foundation. May 31, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
  9. ^ Free Software Foundation (January 14, 2008). "Licenses". Retrieved January 30, 2008.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apache_License&oldid=347197671"