#softwarelicensing — Public Fediverse posts

FreeBSD Just Removed the Last of its GPL-Licensed Code

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://hackaday.com/2026/07/28/freebsd-just-removed-the-last-of-its-gpl-licensed-code/

If an AI is pre-trained (no fine-tuning) purely and exclusively on GPL/GPL-compatible code, are its outputs GPL-compliant?

https://opensource.stackexchange.com/questions/15789/if-an-ai-is-pre-trained-no-fine-tuning-purely-and-exclusively-on-gpl-gpl-compa

#GPL #OpenSource #FreeSoftware #SoftwareLicensing #AI #LLM #FOSS

@[email protected]

This would be nice, but there are a couple legal details that would need to get hammered out. We probably wouldn’t want the government to directly enforce copyleft licenses, because that would basically obligate the government to involve itself in any copyright dispute between two parties, potentially even if the parties didn’t want it. In the US, the judge can say that the person whose copyright was infringed gets their legal fees back, but this is not guaranteed.

I’m no lawyer, but I suspect the main barrier to GPL enforcement is the high upfront cost and the risk of losing a whole bunch of money if you aren’t awarded legal fees or lose the case.

Software licensing is no longer just about generating and validating license keys.

For modern ISVs, SaaS vendors, IoT platforms, fintech products, and AI-powered applications, licensing becomes part of the core business infrastructure: monetization, entitlement control, usage tracking, customer access, compliance, and automation.

#NetLicensing #LicensingAsAService #SaaS #SoftwareLicensing #EntitlementManagement #ISV #SoftwareMonetization #Labs64 #AgenticAI

Ever had to answer the question "What's included in Copilot Chat without the premium M365 Copilot license?"

Yeah, it's tricky.😅 Microsoft's own materials are either out of date or too tiny to zoom into.🧐 So, I took their latst materials and created my own comparison slide.

There's of course a lot more to #Microsoft365 and #Copilot licensing than can fit into a 2D table. I wrote more about the latest #CopilotChat #softwarelicensing changes in The Licensing Guide blog:
https://licensing.guide/the-ever-moving-goalposts-of-copilot-chat/

Ever had to answer the question "What's included in Copilot Chat without the premium M365 Copilot license?"

Yeah, it's tricky.😅 Microsoft's own materials are either out of date or too tiny to zoom into.🧐 So, I took their latst materials and created my own comparison slide.

There's of course a lot more to #Microsoft365 and #Copilot licensing than can fit into a 2D table. I wrote more about the latest #CopilotChat #softwarelicensing changes in The Licensing Guide blog:
https://licensing.guide/the-ever-moving-goalposts-of-copilot-chat/

🔐 USB over IP for Software Licensing Dongles in Corporate IT

Managing licensing dongles at scale is a persistent IT challenge—lost devices, manual handovers, and costly over-purchasing. USB over IP centralizes dongles in a secure location, enables controlled sharing, and adds redundancy to avoid downtime.

Learn more 👉️https://usbmanager.net/usb-over-ip-for-software-licensing-dongles-in-corporate-it/

#USBoverIP #SoftwareLicensing #DongleManagement #ITOptimization #CostReduction #EnterpriseIT

Managing multiple software subscriptions doesn’t have to be stressful. MERAK consolidates your tools, monitors usage, and keeps everything compliant — so you can focus on growth.
#MERAK #ITManagement #SoftwareLicensing #CloudSolutions #BusinessGrowth

2026 is a turning point for software monetization. The license management market is set to grow as vendors move from perpetual licenses to hybrid and consumption-based models, powered by AI and cloud-native platforms.

Read our new market report on how entitlements, real-time license intelligence, and usage-based pricing will shape the next decade of SaaS revenue 👉 https://netlicensing.io/blog/2026/01/08/software-license-entitlements-monetization-market-analysis-report-2026/
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#SoftwareLicensing #Monetization #MarketTrends #Report2026 #NetLicensing #MarketAnalysis #BizOps

Stripe is great at payments — but it was never designed to manage software licenses.
​
NetLicensing adds automated license lifecycle management, flexible models, security, and analytics on top of Stripe’s checkout.
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If you sell software with Stripe and still “manually manage licenses”, this article is a must‑read 👉 https://netlicensing.io/blog/2025/12/22/from-payments-to-licensing-netlicensing-stripe/
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#NetLicensing #Stripe #SaaS #API #SoftwareLicensing #LicenseManagement #Payments #Monetization

We at Labs64 GmbH & Labs64 NetLicensing would like to thank our customers, partners, and community for the collaboration and trust over the past year! 🙏

A new year brings new opportunities, new challenges, and new ideas worth turning into reality.
Wishing you a successful, healthy, and inspiring start into 2026 🎉

https://netlicensing.io
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#NetLicensing #SoftwareLicensing #licensemanagement #monetization #SaaS #LaaS #NewYear2026 #Partnerships #Innovation

https://winbuzzer.com/2025/11/26/microsoft-shifts-visual-studio-to-annual-releases-monthly-updates-xcxwbn/

Microsoft Shifts Visual Studio to Annual Releases, Monthly Updates

#Microsoft #VisualStudio #SoftwareDevelopment #DevTools #Programming #Coding #VisualStudio2026 #MSVC #DotNet #SoftwareLicensing #DeveloperExperience

https://winbuzzer.com/2025/11/26/microsoft-shifts-visual-studio-to-annual-releases-monthly-updates-xcxwbn/

Microsoft Shifts Visual Studio to Annual Releases, Monthly Updates

#Microsoft #VisualStudio #SoftwareDevelopment #DevTools #Programming #Coding #VisualStudio2026 #MSVC #DotNet #SoftwareLicensing #DeveloperExperience

@gedankenstuecke

This is a long read, but I think it has a much more coherent take on the idea of creating ethical, political, or anti-capitalistic software licenses:

https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2022/mar/17/copyleft-ethical-source-putin-ukraine/

#nccc #ppl #agpl #gpl #foss #fosh #freesoftware #freehardware #license #licensing #softwarelicense #softwarelicensing #copyleft #copyfarleft

@gedankenstuecke

This is a long read, but I think it has a much more coherent take on the idea of creating ethical, political, or anti-capitalistic software licenses:

https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2022/mar/17/copyleft-ethical-source-putin-ukraine/

#nccc #ppl #agpl #gpl #foss #fosh #freesoftware #freehardware #license #licensing #softwarelicense #softwarelicensing #copyleft #copyfarleft

🤔 Oh, look! #Liquibase has decided that "open source" means "closed source with a twist" now. 🎩🐇 Bravo for the open-source magic trick where the license isn't what it seems, but hey, who needs #transparency when you have marketing! 🎉📜
https://github.com/liquibase/liquibase/issues/7374 #openSource #illusion #marketing #controversy #softwareLicensing #HackerNews #ngated

🤔 Oh, look! #Liquibase has decided that "open source" means "closed source with a twist" now. 🎩🐇 Bravo for the open-source magic trick where the license isn't what it seems, but hey, who needs #transparency when you have marketing! 🎉📜
https://github.com/liquibase/liquibase/issues/7374 #openSource #illusion #marketing #controversy #softwareLicensing #HackerNews #ngated

Did you read the quarter-million-line license for your Slack app?

https://mastodon.mit.edu/@Eggfreckles/114825126857396420

#HackerNews #Did #you #read #the #quarter-million-line #license #for #your #Slack #app? #HackerNews #SlackApp #SoftwareLicensing #TechEthics #OpenSource

Did you read the quarter-million-line license for your Slack app?

https://mastodon.mit.edu/@Eggfreckles/114825126857396420

#HackerNews #Did #you #read #the #quarter-million-line #license #for #your #Slack #app? #HackerNews #SlackApp #SoftwareLicensing #TechEthics #OpenSource

Does anyone know of R packages that require license keys for certain features? Curious about packages with mixed open/proprietary functionality. #RStats #SoftwareLicensing

Does anyone know of R packages that require license keys for certain features? Curious about packages with mixed open/proprietary functionality. #RStats #SoftwareLicensing

Check out the lastest article I wrote for the #Fedora Magazine:

https://fedoramagazine.org/beginners-guide-for-open-source-developers-for-software-licensing-with-fsfe-reuse/

Tired of messy software licensing in your #OpenSource projects?

The #FSFE #REUSE specification solves the chaos of unclear licenses, mixed origins, and compliance headaches.

This guide shows you how to make licensing explicit, machine-readable, and auditable, including helpful experiences from real-world introductions

#SoftwareLicensing #FOSS #Developer #Compliance

@fedora
@fsfe

UK Class Action Suit Accuses Microsoft of Inflating Software Prices

#Microsoft #Microsoft365 #Windows #UK #SoftwareLicensing #TechLaw #ConsumerRights #BigTech #Cloud

https://winbuzzer.com/2025/05/15/uk-class-action-suit-accuses-microsoft-of-inflating-software-prices-xcxwbn/

UK Class Action Suit Accuses Microsoft of Inflating Software Prices

#Microsoft #Microsoft365 #Windows #UK #SoftwareLicensing #TechLaw #ConsumerRights #BigTech #Cloud

https://winbuzzer.com/2025/05/15/uk-class-action-suit-accuses-microsoft-of-inflating-software-prices-xcxwbn/

⚠️ Legal alert: Broadcom is issuing cease-and-desist letters to VMware perpetual-license users 🚨

📄 Perpetual-license agreements deemed non-compliant
🛑 Users must migrate to subscriptions or face legal action
🔒 Broadcom cites IP infringement and support violations
💡 Action: Audit your license status and plan your upgrade path now

#VMware #Broadcom #Compliance #ITsecurity #SoftwareLicensing
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/broadcom-sends-cease-and-desist-letters-to-subscription-less-vmware-users/

⚠️ Legal alert: Broadcom is issuing cease-and-desist letters to VMware perpetual-license users 🚨

📄 Perpetual-license agreements deemed non-compliant
🛑 Users must migrate to subscriptions or face legal action
🔒 Broadcom cites IP infringement and support violations
💡 Action: Audit your license status and plan your upgrade path now

#VMware #Broadcom #Compliance #ITsecurity #SoftwareLicensing
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/broadcom-sends-cease-and-desist-letters-to-subscription-less-vmware-users/

🚀 Privative-Friendly Source-Shared License (PFSSL) v1.0

A unique license that fills the gap between permissive licenses (like MIT or BSD) and more protective ones (like LGPL, or AGPL), offering a middle ground that ensures non-infective usage with proprietary software, while still requiring source code availability, proper attribution, and accounting for network-based usage.

🔗 Check it out here:
https://rsm92.fr/licenses/pfssl-v1.0

#OpenSource #PFSSL #SoftwareLicensing #DevTools #AGPL #MIT #MPL

I wrote to the address in the GPLv2 license notice

https://code.mendhak.com/gpl-v2-address-letter/

#HackerNews #GPLv2 #OpenSource #SoftwareLicensing #HackerNews #TechCommunity #GPL

I wrote to the address in the GPLv2 license notice

https://code.mendhak.com/gpl-v2-address-letter/

#HackerNews #GPLv2 #OpenSource #SoftwareLicensing #HackerNews #TechCommunity #GPL

VMware Workstation & Fusion Now Free For All Users https://cybersecuritynews.com/vmware-workstation-free-users/ #InformationSecurity #CyberSecurityNews #cybersecuritynews #SoftwareLicensing #Virtualization #Technology #TechNews

VMware Workstation & Fusion Now Free For All Users https://cybersecuritynews.com/vmware-workstation-free-users/ #InformationSecurity #CyberSecurityNews #cybersecuritynews #SoftwareLicensing #Virtualization #Technology #TechNews

#SoftwareLicensing Changes and Their Impact on Financial Outcomes #OpenSource

https://redmonk.com/rstephens/2024/08/26/software-licensing-changes-and-their-impact-on-financial-outcomes/

#SoftwareLicensing Changes and Their Impact on Financial Outcomes #OpenSource

https://redmonk.com/rstephens/2024/08/26/software-licensing-changes-and-their-impact-on-financial-outcomes/

So what exactly constitutes "prominent notices stating that you modified it, and giving a relevant date" for #GPLv3 code?

For example, I'm working on a personal project and writing licensing it under the GPLv3. If I want to take and modify a single function (or a few) from another GPLv3-licened projected, how do I state the modifications and the date? Do git commits count? What exactly do I need to do?

#FOSS #Programming #SoftwareLicensing

Focusing on the wrong open source issues - If you follow open source topics on X/Twitter, you can be forgiven for believing the b... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3715386/focusing-on-the-wrong-open-source-issues.html#tk.rss_all #technologyindustry #softwarelicensing #opensource

Focusing on the wrong open source issues - If you follow open source topics on X/Twitter, you can be forgiven for believing the b... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3715386/focusing-on-the-wrong-open-source-issues.html#tk.rss_all #technologyindustry #softwarelicensing #opensource

OpenTofu may be showing us the wrong way to fork - OpenTofu’s founders had a mission. Upset by HashiCorp licensing changes in August 2023... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3714980/opentofu-may-be-showing-us-the-wrong-way-to-fork.html#tk.rss_all #softwarelicensing #opensource

OpenTofu may be showing us the wrong way to fork - OpenTofu’s founders had a mission. Upset by HashiCorp licensing changes in August 2023... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3714980/opentofu-may-be-showing-us-the-wrong-way-to-fork.html#tk.rss_all #softwarelicensing #opensource

Ensuring the open source moment continues - Back in the 2000s, we talked about open source a lot—perhaps too much. We fought about... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3714784/ensuring-the-open-source-moment-continues.html#tk.rss_all #technologyindustry #softwarelicensing #opensource

Ensuring the open source moment continues - Back in the 2000s, we talked about open source a lot—perhaps too much. We fought about... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3714784/ensuring-the-open-source-moment-continues.html#tk.rss_all #technologyindustry #softwarelicensing #opensource

Use strong copyleft licenses for your software, please. When you use permissive licenses like MIT or BSD (2 or 3 clause), you're essentially giving up the premise that free software should remain free.

The fact that silicon valley tech companies avoid using software with strong copyleft licensing is an argument for, not against them.

#SoftwareLicensing #copyleft #GPL

Thinking about a software license for the code of the IPA (intelligent personal assistant) framework that we are currently developing in the #w3c #voiceinteraction community group.

The document drafts that we are publishing are using this one https://www.w3.org/copyright/software-license-2023/

Maybe, this is also good enough for our software?

#programming #foss #softwarelicensing

Open source needs to catch up in 2024 - Open source pioneer Bruce Perens gets one thing right and most things wrong in a recen... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3711881/open-source-needs-to-catch-up-in-2024.html#tk.rss_all #artificialintelligence #emergingtechnology #softwarelicensing #cloudcomputing #generativeai #opensource

Open source needs to catch up in 2024 - Open source pioneer Bruce Perens gets one thing right and most things wrong in a recen... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3711881/open-source-needs-to-catch-up-in-2024.html#tk.rss_all #artificialintelligence #emergingtechnology #softwarelicensing #cloudcomputing #generativeai #opensource

MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin bag is up $900M amid BTC price surge - Michael Saylor founded MicroStrategy has bought 6,067 Bitcoin sin... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/microstrategy-bitcoin-play-up-nearly-a-billion-amid-btc-price-surge #bitcoininvestmentstrategy #businessanalytics #softwarelicensing #quarterlyresults #michaelsaylor #subscription #statement

MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin bag is up $900M amid BTC price surge - Michael Saylor founded MicroStrategy has bought 6,067 Bitcoin sin... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/microstrategy-bitcoin-play-up-nearly-a-billion-amid-btc-price-surge #bitcoininvestmentstrategy #businessanalytics #softwarelicensing #quarterlyresults #michaelsaylor #subscription #statement

Ok #SoftwareLicensing question: we have some software to interface with an #FPGA which uses the manufacturers USB python code. We want to release our code as an open source package (its currently GPL-3, but thats just my default), but it has this license:
https://opalkelly.com/about-us/frontpanel-license/

Opal Kelly hereby grants to the Licensee a temporary, non-exclusive license to install and use Software. Licensee shall not modify, distribute, resell or otherwise transfer Software for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial. Licensee may integrate and sub-license Software for distribution but Software must only be used in conjunction with Opal Kelly devices or devices incorporating Firmware.

That to me says two opposite things: a) we are not allowed to distribute it for any purpose, and also b) we may sub-license and distribute it if we use it with their hardware (we are)

Is this a normal thing in #embedded world? Can we just... copy and paste it into a vendor folder and call it a day, or do we need to redesign this thing?

Rethinking open source for AI - We keep using the term “open source” in the context of large language models (LLMs) li... - https://www.infoworld.com/article/3706091/rethinking-open-source-for-ai.html#tk.rss_all #artificialintelligence #softwarelicensing #neuralnetworks #opensource