Open Source License Commercial Use Guide

Understanding Commercial Rights in Open Source Licenses

📋 Legend

✅ Free: Commercial use is completely free without restrictions

⚠️ Conditional: Commercial use allowed with specific requirements

❌ Not Free: Commercial use prohibited or requires separate licensing

❓ Varies: Check specific license terms

💻 Traditional Software Licenses

Permissive Licenses (Business-Friendly)

License	Commercial Use	Key Requirements	Notes
Apache-2.0	✅ Free	Attribution, state changes, include license	Very permissive, patent grant included
MIT	✅ Free	Include copyright notice and license	One of the most permissive licenses
BSD-2-clause	✅ Free	Include copyright notice	Very permissive
BSD-3-clause	✅ Free	Include copyright notice, no endorsement	Slightly more restrictive than 2-clause
BSD-3-clause-clear	✅ Free	Same as BSD-3 but clarifies no patent rights	Patent rights explicitly not granted
ISC	✅ Free	Include copyright notice	Similar to MIT, very permissive
Unlicense	✅ Free	None - public domain dedication	No restrictions whatsoever
CC0-1.0	✅ Free	None - public domain dedication	Creative Commons "No Rights Reserved"
WTFPL	✅ Free	None	"Do What The F*** You Want" - no restrictions
Zlib	✅ Free	Don't misrepresent origin	Very permissive
PostgreSQL	✅ Free	Include copyright notice	Similar to MIT
BSL-1.0	✅ Free	Include license text if source distributed	Boost Software License - very permissive
PDDL	✅ Free	None - public domain	Public Domain Dedication License
NCSA	✅ Free	Include copyright and license	Similar to BSD/MIT

Copyleft Licenses (Conditional)

License	Commercial Use	Key Requirements	Notes
GPL-2.0/3.0	⚠️ Conditional	Must open source entire work	Strong copyleft - viral license
AGPL-3.0	⚠️ Conditional	Like GPL + network use = distribution	Strictest copyleft
LGPL-2.1/3.0	⚠️ Conditional	Share LGPL library mods, allow relinking	Lesser GPL - library-friendly
MPL-2.0	⚠️ Conditional	Share modifications of MPL code only	File-level copyleft
EPL-1.0/2.0	⚠️ Conditional	Share modifications, patent grant	Eclipse Public License
AFL-3.0	⚠️ Conditional	Attribution, share source if distributed	Academic Free License
OSL-3.0	⚠️ Conditional	Share source if distributed, attribution	Open Software License
ECL-2.0	⚠️ Conditional	Attribution, state changes	Educational Community License
MS-PL	⚠️ Conditional	Include license, share source if distributed	Microsoft Public License
EUPL-1.1/1.2	⚠️ Conditional	Share modifications	European Union Public License
Artistic-2.0	⚠️ Conditional	Attribution, share modifications	Perl's license
OFL-1.1	⚠️ Conditional	Keep font name, share modifications	Open Font License
GFDL	⚠️ Conditional	Include license, preserve sections	GNU Free Documentation License
LPPL-1.3c	⚠️ Conditional	Rename if modified	LaTeX Project Public License

🎨 Creative Commons Licenses

License	Commercial Use	Key Requirements	Notes
CC-BY-2.0/2.5/3.0/4.0	⚠️ Conditional	Attribution required	Creative Commons with attribution
CC-BY-SA-3.0/4.0	⚠️ Conditional	Attribution + share-alike	Must use same license for derivatives
CC-BY-ND-4.0	⚠️ Conditional	Attribution, no derivatives	Can't modify the work
CC-BY-NC-2.0/3.0/4.0	❌ Not Free	Non-commercial only	Commercial use prohibited
CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0/3.0/4.0	❌ Not Free	Non-commercial + share-alike	Commercial use prohibited
CC-BY-NC-ND-3.0/4.0	❌ Not Free	Non-commercial + no derivatives	Most restrictive CC license

🤖 AI Model Licenses

License	Commercial Use	Key Requirements	Notes
Llama2	⚠️ Conditional	Free up to 700M users, attribution	Meta's Llama 2 license
Llama3/3.1/3.2/3.3	⚠️ Conditional	Free up to 700M users, attribution	Updated Meta license
Llama4	⚠️ Conditional	Assumed similar to Llama3	Not yet released
Gemma	⚠️ Conditional	Prohibited uses list, attribution	Google's Gemma license
OpenRAIL	⚠️ Conditional	Use restrictions, attribution	Responsible AI License
OpenRAIL++	⚠️ Conditional	More restrictions than OpenRAIL	Enhanced responsible use
CreativeML-OpenRAIL-M	⚠️ Conditional	Use restrictions, attribution	For ML models
BigScience-OpenRAIL-M	⚠️ Conditional	Use restrictions, share license	BLOOM model license
BigScience-BLOOM-RAIL-1.0	⚠️ Conditional	Specific BLOOM restrictions	Original BLOOM license
BigCode-OpenRAIL-M	⚠️ Conditional	Code generation restrictions	For code models
DeepFloyd-IF-License	❌ Not Free	Research only by default	Commercial license needed
Apple-AMLA	⚠️ Conditional	Apple's specific terms	Apple Machine Learning
Apple-ASCL	⚠️ Conditional	Apple sample code terms	Limited to Apple platforms
Intel-Research	❌ Not Free	Research purposes only	Intel's research license

📊 Data Licenses

License	Commercial Use	Key Requirements	Notes
CDLA-Permissive-1.0/2.0	✅ Free	Attribution for data	Community Data License
CDLA-Sharing-1.0	⚠️ Conditional	Share data improvements	Copyleft for data
ODC-By	⚠️ Conditional	Attribution for databases	Open Data Commons
ODbL	⚠️ Conditional	Share-alike for databases	Open Database License
C-UDA	⚠️ Conditional	Computational use only	Computational Use of Data
Etalab-2.0	✅ Free	Attribution	French government open license

🔍 Generic/Other Licenses

License	Commercial Use	Key Requirements	Notes
Other	❓ Varies	Check specific license	Not a standard license
CC	❓ Varies	Depends on CC variant	Generic Creative Commons
BSD	✅ Free	Usually permissive	Generic BSD reference
GPL	⚠️ Conditional	Strong copyleft	Generic GPL reference
LGPL	⚠️ Conditional	Weak copyleft	Generic LGPL reference
LGPL-LR	⚠️ Conditional	LGPL with special exceptions	Language resources variant

⚠️ Important Notes

1. Always read the full license text - This guide provides general guidance but specific versions may have additional terms
2. "Conditional" means you CAN use commercially BUT must follow requirements - These aren't necessarily restrictive
3. Attribution is usually simple - Just credit the original authors/source
4. Copyleft/Share-alike - You must license derivatives under the same terms
5. Patent grants - Some licenses (Apache, EPL) explicitly grant patent rights
6. Compatibility - Not all licenses can be combined in one project
7. AI/ML licenses often have use-case restrictions - Even if commercial use is allowed, certain uses may be prohibited

🏆 Quick Reference Guide

Most Business-Friendly Licenses

• MIT - Minimal requirements, maximum freedom
• Apache-2.0 - Patent protection included
• BSD variants - Simple and permissive
• ISC - MIT-style simplicity
• Unlicense - Public domain dedication
• CC0-1.0 - No rights reserved

Decision Tree for Choosing a License

• Want maximum freedom? → MIT or Apache-2.0
• Building a library? → LGPL or MPL-2.0
• Want improvements shared back? → GPL
• Running a SaaS? → AGPL (if you want to enforce sharing)
• Publishing content? → CC-BY (attribution only)
• Using AI models? → Check user count limits carefully

Most Restrictive for Commercial Use

• AGPL-3.0 - Requires source disclosure even for SaaS
• CC-BY-NC-ND - No commercial use, no modifications
• Research-only licenses - Intel-Research, DeepFloyd-IF
• Any "NC" (non-commercial) license

💡 Pro Tips

1. For startups: Stick to MIT or Apache-2.0 for maximum flexibility
2. For open source projects: Consider your goals - permissive for adoption, copyleft for contributions
3. For using AI models: Always check the user/revenue thresholds
4. For content creators: CC-BY allows commercial use with attribution
5. For enterprises: Create an approved license list to streamline decisions

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Last updated: June 2025

Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Always consult with a legal professional for specific licensing questions.