So I\'ve done lots of open-source work. I have released many projects, most of w
ID: 659593 • Letter: S
Question
So I've done lots of open-source work. I have released many projects, most of which have fallen under GPL, LGPL, or BSD licensing.
Now I have a new project (an implementation library), and I can't find a license that meets my needs (although I believe one may exist, hence this question).
This is the list of things I'm looking for in the license.
Appropriate credit given for ALL usage or derivative works.
No warranty expressed or implied.
The library may be freely used in ANY other open-source/free-software product (regardless of license, GPL, BSD, EPL, etc).
The library may be used in closed-source/commercial products ONLY WITH WRITTEN PERMISSION.
GPL - Useless to me, obviously, as it completely precludes any and all closed-source use, violating requirement (4).
BSD/LGPL/MIT - Won't work, because they wouldn't require closed-source developers to get my permission, violating requirement (4). If it wasn't for that, BSD (FreeBSD in particular) would look like a good choice here.
EPL/MPL - Won't work either, as the code couldn't be combined with GPL-code, therefore violating requirement (3). Also I'm pretty sure they allow commercial works without asking permission, so they don't meet (4) either.
Dual-licensing is an option, but in that case, what combination would hold to all four requirements?
Basically, I want BSD minus the commercial use, plus an option to use in commercial/closed-source as long as the developer has my written permission.
Explanation / Answer
The requirements you give are contradictory: BSD-licensed software can be used in closed-source software without any special permission; if you want your code to be usable in BSD-licensed projects, you will need to allow that too.
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