Mozilla Public License (MPL 2.0 - for software)
The MPL 2.0 License is for open-source software and related materials. It sits between the permissive MIT and the more-restrictive GPLv3 licences, attempting to balance the needs of open-source and proprietary developers. It is a 'weak copyleft' licence, in that MPL-licensed material must remain open, but the MPL does not 'infect' the rest of the project as some copyleft licensing does (such as GPLv3). Version 2.0 was released to fix incompatibilities with certain other open source licensing schemes. Learn more
Pros
- Free licence that keeps the original material open source, while allowing for virtually any kind of use in a project.
- Generally considered friendly to commercial use as it doesn't 'infect' the rest of the work.
Cons
- Users may consider it more complex to apply due to the requirements for the 'weak copyleft' elements. The downstream licence upgrade option at 10.2 has also been raised as a concern.
- When building on MPL-licensed works, you must note any modifications you've made and inform users where they can access the original source for any MPL-licensed material you've used.
MPL (Mozilla Public License) Open Source license in a nutshell
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.