Fedora Commons currently uses the Apache License, Version 2.0 to distribute our software. We also use licenses to accept contributions from individuals and organizations. Such licenses are needed to support our mission of providing free, open source software products created by a collaborative community of developers. Contributors retain full rights to use their contributions outside Fedora Commons but licenses provide a way for our community to distribute and build upon their work. These licenses are for your protection as well as for the protection of Fedora Commons.
All the software produced by Fedora Commons or any of it projects or subjects is licensed to the terms of the documents listed below.
Apache License, Version 2.0 (Fedora Release 3.0 forward)We have selected the Apache License, Version 2.0 because of its familiarity and acceptance within the communities which use Fedora Commons software products. This license applies to all Fedora Commons software products released after July 4, 2008.
The Fedora Commons copyright for software products is:
Copyright © 2008 Fedora Commons, Inc.
Copyright © 2002-2008 The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia and Cornell University
The Fedora Commons copyright for publications other than software products is the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License unless specifically noted on the publication.
Educational Community License, Version 2.0 (Fedora Release 2.2.2)The license is an Open Source Initiative (http://www.opensource.org) approved license as of April 2007. The text of this license may be found at http://www.osedu.org/licenses and consists of the Apache 2.0 license, modified to change the scope of the patent grant in Section 3 to be specific to the needs of the education communities using this license. The original Apache 2.0 license can be found at: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0. Use of the ECL 2.0 Licenses has been superseded in use for Fedora Commons software products by the Apache License, Version 2.0 described above.
Educational Community License, Version 1.0 (Fedora Release 2.1 through Release 2.2.1)The license is the initial license designed for the specific needs of education communities. It has been superseded in use by the ECL 2.0 license described above.
Mozilla Public License Version 1.1 (Release 2.0 and prior)The license is an Open Source Initiative (http://www.opensource.org) approved license whose text may be found at the link above.
Fedora Commons desires that all contributors of ideas, code, or documentation to Fedora Commons projects submit a completed and signed individual Contributor License Agreement (CLA). This agreement clearly defines the terms under which intellectual property has been contributed to Fedora Commons. This agreement will help us defend the project if there is a legal dispute regarding the software in the future. A signed CLA is required to be on file before an individual may commit to a Fedora Commons project.
Download Fedora Commons CLA: [ html | text | word | pdf ]
In the case of an organization, such as a corporation or academic institution, that has assigned employees to work on a Fedora Commons project, a Corporate Contributor License Agreement (CCLA) is available. This agreement may be used to contribute intellectual property that may be assigned as part of an employment agreement. However, a CCLA does not remove the need for every developer to sign their own CLA as an individual, to cover any of their contributions that are not owned by the organization signing the CCLA.
Download Fedora Commons CCLA: [ html | text | word | pdf ]
Download Fedora Commons CCLA Academic Version: [ html | text | word | pdf ]
CLAs and CCLAs may be submitted by postal mail, fax, or by emailing a scan of the signed copy to csmith@fedora-commons.org. Please be certain that we have received the document especially if you have sent it by fax.