Software Licensing#

This guide asks a range of questions to consider when planning how you license your software. Each question has resources for more information.

This guide aims to highlight resources which may be useful for developing research software. It was not produced by lawyers, is not legal advice, and Research Computing is not responsible for the content referenced in this guide.

Checklist

  • Choose a license type, considering funder and compatability requirements.

  • Add the license to your project.

  • Meet the requirements of the license.

Questions#

What is software licensing and why it is important?#

What are the options?#

Which one should I pick?#

What does this option mean?#

Are there any external components to the software?#

Do you need a license for your data?#

Are there any funder requirements?#

How do I add a licence to my project?#

Is there a more common license?#

Training#

Other general resources#

Examples#