diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'en/setup/licenses.html')
-rw-r--r-- | en/setup/licenses.html | 110 |
1 files changed, 110 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/en/setup/licenses.html b/en/setup/licenses.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..a2114a2b --- /dev/null +++ b/en/setup/licenses.html @@ -0,0 +1,110 @@ +<html devsite> + <head> + <title>Content License</title> + <meta name="project_path" value="/_project.yaml" /> + <meta name="book_path" value="/_book.yaml" /> + </head> + <body> + <!-- + Copyright 2017 The Android Open Source Project + + Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); + you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. + You may obtain a copy of the License at + + http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 + + Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software + distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, + WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. + See the License for the specific language governing permissions and + limitations under the License. + --> + + + +<p>The Android Open Source Project uses a few +<a href="http://www.opensource.org/">open source initiative</a> +approved open source licenses for our software.</p> +<h2 id="android-open-source-project-license">Android Open Source Project License</h2> +<p>The preferred license for the Android Open Source Project is the +<a href="http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0">Apache +Software License, Version 2.0</a> ("Apache 2.0"), +and the majority of the Android software is licensed +with Apache 2.0. While the project will strive to adhere to the preferred +license, there may be exceptions that will be handled on a case-by-case +basis. For example, the Linux kernel patches are under the GPLv2 license with +system exceptions, which can be found on <a href="http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/COPYING">kernel.org</a>.</p> +<h2 id="contributor-license-grants">Contributor License Agreements</h2> +<p>All <em>individual</em> contributors (that is, contributors making contributions +only on their own behalf) of ideas, code, or documentation to the Android Open +Source Project will be required to complete, sign, and submit an <a +href="https://cla.developers.google.com/about/google-individual">Individual +Contributor License Agreement</a>. The agreement can be executed online through the +<a href="https://android-review.googlesource.com/#/settings/agreements">code review tool</a>. +The agreement clearly defines the terms under which intellectual +property has been contributed to the Android Open Source Project. This license +is for your protection as a contributor as well as the protection of the +project; it does not change your rights to use your own contributions for any +other purpose.</p> +<p>For a <em>corporation</em> (or other entity) that has assigned employees to +work on the Android Open Source Project, a <a +href="https://cla.developers.google.com/about/google-corporate">Corporate +Contributor License Agreement</a> is available. +This version of the agreement allows a +corporation to authorize contributions submitted by its designated employees +and to grant copyright and patent licenses. Note that a Corporate Contributor +License Agreement does not remove the need for any developer to sign their own +Individual Contributor License Agreement as an individual. The individual +agreement is needed to cover any of their contributions that are <em>not</em> +owned by the corporation signing the Corporate Contributor License Agreement.</p> +<p>Please note we based our agreements on the ones the +<a href="http://www.apache.org">Apache Software Foundation</a> uses, which can +be found on the <a href="http://www.apache.org/licenses/">Apache web site</a>.</p> +<h2 id="why-apache-software-license">Why Apache Software License?</h2> +<p>We are sometimes asked why Apache Software License 2.0 is the preferred +license for Android. For userspace (that is, non-kernel) software, we do in +fact prefer ASL2.0 (and similar licenses like BSD, MIT, etc.) over other +licenses such as LGPL.</p> +<p>Android is about freedom and choice. The purpose of Android is promote +openness in the mobile world, and we don't believe it's possible to predict or +dictate all the uses to which people will want to put our software. So, while +we encourage everyone to make devices that are open and modifiable, we don't +believe it is our place to force them to do so. Using LGPL libraries would +often force them to do just that.</p> +<p>Here are some of our specific concerns:</p> +<ul> +<li> +<p>LGPL (in simplified terms) requires either: shipping of source to the +application; a written offer for source; or linking the LGPL-ed library +dynamically and allowing users to manually upgrade or replace the library. +Since Android software is typically shipped in the form of a static system +image, complying with these requirements ends up restricting OEMs' designs. +(For instance, it's difficult for a user to replace a library on read-only +flash storage.)</p> +</li> +<li> +<p>LGPL requires allowance of customer modification and reverse +engineering for debugging those modifications. Most device makers do +not want to have to be bound by these terms. So to minimize the burden on +these companies, we minimize usage of LGPL software in userspace.</li></p> +</li> +<li> +<p>Historically, LGPL libraries have been the source of a large number +of compliance problems for downstream device makers and application +developers. Educating engineers on these issues is difficult and slow-going, +unfortunately. It's critical to Android's success that it be as easy as +possible for device makers to comply with the licenses. Given the +difficulties with complying with LGPL in the past, it is most prudent to +simply not use LGPL libraries if we can avoid it.</p> +</li> +</ul> +<p>The issues discussed above are our reasons for preferring ASL2.0 for +our own code. They aren't criticisms of LGPL or other licenses. We are +passionate about this topic, even to the point where we've gone out of our +way to make sure as much code as possible is ASL2.0 licensed. However, we love all free +and open source licenses, and respect others' opinions and preferences. We've +simply decided ASL2.0 is the right license for our goals.</p> + + </body> +</html> |