2.6. Licensing

+2.6. Licensing

+ Because open source projects are open to the public, they have + different licensing structures in place. + License evolution for both Open Source and Free Software has an + interesting history. + If you are interested in this history, you can find basic information + here: +

+ Open source license history +
+ Free software license history +

+ In general, the Yocto Project is broadly licensed under the + Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) License. + MIT licensing permits the reuse of software within proprietary + software as long as the license is distributed with that software. + MIT is also compatible with the GNU General Public License (GPL). + Patches to the Yocto Project follow the upstream licensing scheme. + You can find information on the MIT license + here. + You can find information on the GNU GPL + here. +

+ When you build an image using the Yocto Project, the build process + uses a known list of licenses to ensure compliance. + You can find this list in the + Source Directory + at meta/files/common-licenses. + Once the build completes, the list of all licenses found and used + during that build are kept in the + Build Directory + at tmp/deploy/licenses. +

+ If a module requires a license that is not in the base list, the + build process generates a warning during the build. + These tools make it easier for a developer to be certain of the + licenses with which their shipped products must comply. + However, even with these tools it is still up to the developer to + resolve potential licensing issues. +

+ The base list of licenses used by the build process is a combination + of the Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) list and the Open + Source Initiative (OSI) projects. + SPDX Group is a working group of + the Linux Foundation that maintains a specification for a standard + format for communicating the components, licenses, and copyrights + associated with a software package. + OSI is a corporation + dedicated to the Open Source Definition and the effort for reviewing + and approving licenses that conform to the Open Source Definition + (OSD). +

+ You can find a list of the combined SPDX and OSI licenses that the + Yocto Project uses in the + meta/files/common-licenses directory in your + Source Directory. +

+ For information that can help you maintain compliance with various + open source licensing during the lifecycle of a product created using + the Yocto Project, see the + "Maintaining Open Source License Compliance During Your Product's Lifecycle" + section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual. +