Mozilla Public License
The Mozilla Public License (MPL) is a free and open source software license developed and maintained by the Mozilla Foundation.[1] It is a weak copyleft, characterized as a middle ground between permissive free software licenses and the GNU General Public License (GPL), that seeks to balance the concerns of proprietary and open source developers.[2] As such, it allows re-licensing. MPL software can thus be converted into a copyleft license such as the GPL, or to a proprietary license (example:KaiOS).
It has undergone two revisions,[3] a minor update to version 1.1, and a major update to version 2.0 with the goals of greater simplicity and better compatibility with other licenses.[4]
The MPL is the license for Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, and most other Mozilla software,[5] but it has been used by others, such as Adobe to license their Flex product line,[6] and The Document Foundation to license LibreOffice 4.0 (also on LGPL 3+).[7][8] Version 1.1 was adapted by several projects to form derivative licenses like Sun Microsystems' own Common Development and Distribution License.[9]
The MPL license was approved as an Open Source software license by the Open Source Initiative also as a Free Software license by the Free Software Foundation.
Version 1.0 was created by Mitchell Baker when she was working as a lawyer at Netscape Communications Corporation and version 1.1 when she was working at the Mozilla Foundation.[10]
Mozilla Public License Media
The new Mozilla logo released in 2024
Related pages
References
- ↑ Open Source Software: a legal guide | LawGives. LawGives. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
- ↑ Andrew Laurent. Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing (2004)"O'Reilly Media, Inc.". p. 62. ISBN 978-0-596-00581-8.
- ↑ Historical Licensing DocumentsMozilla Foundation. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ↑ About MPL 2.0: Revision Process and Changes FAQMozilla Foundation. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ↑ Mozilla Foundation License PolicyMozilla Foundation. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ↑ Adobe Flex FAQ: LicensingAdobe Systems. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ↑ The meaning of the 4.0 (24 January 2013). Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ↑ Licenses - LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Fun Project - Fantastic People.
- ↑ Fontana, Richard. The new MPL (9 January 2012). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ↑ The Time 100: Mitchell Baker: The "Lizard Wrangler" (Marc Andreessen, Time, 18 April 2005)
