📜 LICENSE CLASS: 📝 CUSTOM
Executive Summary: What is it?
While the Open Source Initiative (OSI) maintains a list of approved licenses (like MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL), some projects employ Custom or Modified licenses. These are non-standard legal agreements drafted by a specific vendor.
CFO / Business Impact: What does it cost/risk?
Legal Maintenance Cost. Because the license is unique, it requires a manual review by your legal department for every version. It lacks the "known safety" of the MIT or Apache licenses. Branding restrictions often prevent "White Labeling" in commercial products.
Technical Reality: How does it work?
Often, the license starts from a standard text, such as the BSD 3-Clause License, and adds clauses of its own.
The Modifications
These additions are often designed to protect Trademarks or Branding.
- Usage Rights: Commercial use, modification, and redistribution are typically permitted.
- Branding Restrictions: You are often prohibited from removing original logos or copyright headers ("White Labeling").
Enterprise Implication
How a custom license behaves depends on its text, so each Solution Profile that carries one states its class after reading it. If you plan to resell the software as part of your own product, consult legal counsel, as branding restrictions may prevent a "Whitelabeled" experience.