We have vetted and approved the following licenses and approaches as fitting our Fair Source Values. While other licenses and approaches may also fit our values, these are the ones we recommend for adoption.
+We have vetted and approved the following licenses and approaches as fitting our Fair Source Values. While other licenses and approaches may also fit our values, these are the ones we recommend for adoption.
Functional Source License (FSL)
A simple non-compete license with eventual Open Source conversion after two years. This is the flagship Fair Source license.
-Alternate Fair Source Licenses
These licenses provide different terms and features, catering to specific project needs. They are useful alternatives for projects requiring unique conversion timelines or feature restrictions, offering flexibility beyond our main recommendation.
Fair Core Licence (FCL)
+Fair Core Licence (FCL)
A simple non-compete license with two-year delayed conversion to Open Source. Recommended for monetizing self-hosted software.
Business Source License (BUSL or BSL)
+Business Source License (BUSL or BSL)
A complex non-compete license with eventual Open Source conversion after a certain amount of time, usually four years.
Server Side Public License (SSPL)
+Server Side Public License (SSPL)
A complex license derived from the GNU General Public License (GPL), designed to extend the share-alike principle to its maximum extent.
Elastic License (EL)
+Elastic License (EL)
A simple non-compete license allowing feature restriction through license keys, suitable for various monetization models.
Approaches
-We differentiate Fair Source licensing approaches based on two factors. First, does the producer utilize eventual Open Source? Second, does the producer limit the features of its Fair Source product relative to other editions of the software? Limiting features is called “Fair Core,” because the core functionality is available under a Fair Source license, while an extended feature set is not. This amounts to whether the company’s business model includes monetizing self-hosted usage.
-We differentiate Fair Source licensing approaches based on two factors. First, does the producer utilize eventual Open Source? Second, does the producer limit the features of its Fair Source product relative to other editions of the software? Limiting features is called “Fair Core,” because the core functionality is available under a Fair Source license, while an extended feature set is not. This amounts to whether the company’s business model includes monetizing self-hosted usage.
+† Depends on implementation