Open Source Licence

Definition

A legal framework that governs the use, modification, and distribution of open source software, defining the rights and obligations of users and contributors. Key licence types include permissive licences (MIT, Apache 2.0, BSD) that allow broad commercial use with minimal restrictions, and copyleft licences (GPL, AGPL) that require derivative works to be released under the same terms. Understanding open source licence obligations is critical for technology due diligence, as undisclosed copyleft dependencies can create material IP risk in M&A transactions.