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2.5 Licencing

Description

In this unit you will learn to:

  • Apply open licenses and Data Usage rights

Learning resources

Licencing

This specific learning unit on licensing should be used in conjunction with the material from the FAIR-by-Design Training of Trainers. In particular, we would like you to go through the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) learning unit, which includes discussions on copyright, licensing and attribution and citation. This will give you a more complete perspective on the licensing discussion. Our unit is primarily an introduction to the types of licences that exist, focusing on Creative Commons and Open Source.

Licensing is a critical component when deciding to share your research, providing a legal framework that defines how data can be used by others. There are several types of licenses that you may encounter or use in your research. Our focus today is to introduce to Creative Commons licence which are widely used in different contexts, and Open Source Licences given the increasing popularity and relevance of open source software in the context of Open Science.

Creative Commons licences

Creative Commons (CC) licences are widely used for text, images and data. They allow authors to grant permission to use their work under certain conditions, ranging from allowing any kind of reuse with attribution to allowing only non-commercial use. Understanding the different types of CC licences (e.g. CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC) will help you choose the right one for your work.

The table below describes the various aspects one can implement using Creative Commons.

Another interesting depiction of the licences is the spectrum of openness that we can have:

Attribution: By Shaddim; original CC license symbols by Creative Commons - https://creativecommons.org/about/downloads/https://creativecommons.org/policies/Original CC license icons licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47247325

Which licence is more relevant to your work?

When choosing a licence for your work, consider the nature of the output:

  • Publishing a monograph: For text-based works such as monographs, Creative Commons licences are usually appropriate. They allow you to specify the conditions under which others can use your work, such as requiring attribution or restricting commercial use.

  • Journal articles: Similar to monographs, journal articles often benefit from Creative Commons licences, which ensure wide dissemination while protecting your rights as an author.

  • Data/Research Material: When sharing research data, a Creative Commons licence can clarify how others can use your data. Alternatively, specific data sharing licences may be more appropriate, depending on the field and sensitivity of the data.

Open Source licences

Open source licences apply to software and code. They allow software to be used, modified and distributed freely. Popular open source licences include the GNU General Public License (GPL), the MIT License and the Apache License. Each of these licences has specific terms and conditions that must be understood to ensure compliance.

All open source licences provide three types of clarification:

  1. Permissions: These specify what users can do with the software. Common permissions include commercial use, modification, distribution and private use.
  2. Conditions: These outline the requirements that must be met when using, modifying or distributing the software. Typical conditions include the need to include the original licence and copyright notice, to make the source code available, and to document changes.
  3. Limitations: These highlight the restrictions and disclaimers associated with the software. Common restrictions include disclaimers of warranties and liability, and restrictions on the use of trademarks.

By understanding these key elements of open source licences, you can ensure that you comply with legal requirements and make the most of the freedoms offered by open source software.

Open Source Licences: Overview

1. MIT Licence

Overview:. The MIT licence is one of the most permissive open source licences available. It allows almost unlimited use of the software, making it very popular with developers. This licence is simple and easy to understand, which has contributed to its widespread adoption in both academic and commercial projects.

2. GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0)

General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0) is a strong copyleft licence designed to keep software free and open. It requires that any modified versions of the software also be free and open under the same terms, encouraging the sharing and improvement of software. This licence is often chosen for projects that aim to maximise user freedom and prevent proprietary exploitation of open source code.

3. Apache Licence 2.0

The Apache License 2.0 is a permissive open source licence that not only allows users to freely use, modify and redistribute the software, but also includes an explicit grant of patent rights from contributors to users. This makes it a favourable choice for projects that wish to encourage widespread adoption and contribution while providing legal protection regarding patents.

4. The Unlicence

The Unlicence is a public domain dedication tool that allows developers to place their software in the public domain. By doing so, they waive all copyright and related rights, allowing anyone to use, modify and distribute the software without restriction. This approach is designed to maximise freedom and simplicity, making the software truly free for all possible uses.

References

Creative Commons. (n.d.). Share your work. Retrieved from https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/

Creative Commons. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved from https://creativecommons.org/faq/

Open Source Initiative. (n.d.). Licenses & Standards. Retrieved from https://opensource.org/licenses

Further reading