License Policy
Mozilla Foundation License Policy
Version 2.0
Introduction
The Mozilla Foundation has created this formal policy governing licenses to be used for source files stored in our code repositories. Developers with check-in privileges to the mozilla.org code repositories must comply with this policy unless specifically advised otherwise in writing by The Mozilla Foundation.
The following is a brief summary of the Mozilla Foundation license policy:
- Newly-added code must be licensed under the terms pertaining to that part of the repository to which it is added.
- You must consult the licensing team before adding code not under one of the mozilla.org-approved licenses.
For the complete license policy see the following sections.
Definitions
"Mozilla Code" means all files any part of which end up in binaries of the Mozilla family of Internet clients - Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey and Camino. Note that this definition excludes the code of tools used merely to build these products.
"Other Code" is code in our repositories which originated with the Mozilla Project but is not Mozilla Code.
"Third Party Code" is code in our repositories which did not originate with the Mozilla Project. It is usually, but not always, under its own specific license. Code may be both Mozilla Code and Third Party Code.
Please see the diagram for the relationship between the three definitions. XXX DIAGRAM NOT YET UPDATED
Acceptable Licenses
The following license (the "Mozilla tri-license") is acceptable in all circumstances:
-
MPL/GPL/LGPL triple license,
allowing use of the file under the terms of any one of:
- The Mozilla Public License, version 1.1 or later (MPL)
- The GNU General Public License, version 2 or later (GPL)
- The GNU Lesser General Public License, version 2.1 or later (LGPL)
For new source files please use the boilerplate license notice appropriate for the type of file you are creating.
-
MPL/GPL/LGPL triple license,
allowing use of the file under the terms of any one of:
The following license is acceptable for trivial pieces of Other Code, such as testcases:
- Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication, using the following boilerplate:
Any copyright is dedicated to the Public Domain. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/
- Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication, using the following boilerplate:
The following licenses are acceptable only for Other Code in directories whose files are already under the license in question, as outlined later in this policy:
- The Mozilla Public License, version 1.1 or later (MPL) alone
- The Netscape Public License, version 1.1 or later (NPL) alone
- MPL/GPL dual license, allowing use of the file under the terms of either of:
- The Mozilla Public License, version 1.1 or later (MPL)
- The GNU General Public License, version 2 or later (GPL)
For Third Party Code, you should use the license pertaining to that code when modifying it or adding new files to it, and the tri-license when adding Mozilla-specific files such as build system files. See below for a list of directories this applies to.
All Mozilla Code must be under either the tri-license or, for Third Party Mozilla Code, a license compatible with all three sets of terms in the tri-license (e.g. BSD-like licenses).
Other Code (Non-Tri-Licensed)
The following list, relating to section 3 above, is of directories contain Mozilla project code under sets of licensing terms other than the tri-license.
Webtools
| Software | Directory | License |
|---|---|---|
| PLIF | webtools/plif | MPL/GPL |
| whack-license | webtools/whack-license | MPL/GPL |
| "Bugzilla 3" (defunct) | webtools/bugzilla3 | MPL/GPL |
| APIDoc | webtools/apidoc | NPL/GPL |
| Bonsai | webtools/bonsai | NPL |
| Build | webtools/build | NPL |
| Registry | webtools/registry | NPL |
| Tinderbox 1 | webtools/tinderbox | NPL |
| Browser Buster | webtools/browser-buster | MPL |
| Bugzilla | webtools/bugzilla | MPL |
| Despot | webtools/despot | MPL |
| Doctor | webtools/doctor | MPL |
| Graph | webtools/graph | MPL |
| Hendrix | webtools/hendrix | MPL |
| Leak-O-Matic | webtools/leak-o-matic | MPL |
| Litmus | webtools/litmus | MPL |
| MiscStats | webtools/miscstats | MPL |
| MozBot | webtools/mozbot | MPL |
| NewsBot | webtools/newsbot | MPL |
| Tinderbox 2 | webtools/tinderbox2 | MPL |
| Tinderbox 3 | webtools/tinderbox3 | MPL |
| Web Sniffer | webtools/web-sniffer | MPL |
| webstats | webtools/webstats | MPL |
| Testopia | webtools/testopia | MPL |
| LXR | webtools/lxr | None |
| new-graph | webtools/new-graph | ?? |
| addons.mozilla.org | webtools/addons | (PHP) None :-( |
| update.mozilla.org | webtools/update | (PHP) tri |
| Survey | webtools/survey | (PHP) ? |
| Application Update Service (AUS) | webtools/aus | (PHP) tri |
| Bouncer | webtools/bouncer | (PHP) tri, MIT (for Cake) |
| Firefox Survey | webtools/firefox_survey | (PHP) ??, MIT (for Cake) |
| Party Tool | webtools/partytool | (PHP) tri, MIT and The Open Group Test Suite (for Cake) |
| Remora (addons.mozilla.org 2) | webtools/remora | (PHP) ??, MIT and The Open Group Test Suite (for Cake) |
| Uninstall Survey | webtools/uninstall_survey | (PHP) ??, MIT (for Cake) |
Not Webtools
| Software | Directory | License |
|---|---|---|
| Client Customization Kit | cck | Some MPL 1.1 or later, some tri-license |
| Rhino (JavaScript in Java) | js/rhino | MPL 1.1 or later/GPL 2.0 or later |
Third Party Code
The following list, relating to section 4 above, is of directories containing Third Party Code, each of which is under its own license. Some of this code is Mozilla Code.
| Software | Directory | License |
|---|---|---|
| 7-zip | other-licenses/7zstub | LGPL |
| ATK | other-licenses/atk-1.0 | LGPL |
| Boehm Garbage Collector | gc/boehm | Some MIT-like, some tri-license |
| bsdiff | other-licenses/bsdiff | BSD Protection License |
| IAccessible2 | other-licenses/ia2 | LGPL |
| libart | other-licenses/libart_lgpl | LGPL |
| libical | calendar/libical | LGPL 2.1/MPL 1.0 or later |
| libjpeg | jpeg | JPEG License |
| libpng | modules/libimg/png | PNG License |
| XPIDL | xpcom/typelib/xpidl | GPL |
| zlib | modules/zlib | ZLib License |
Copying Code
You may copy code between files with identical licensing terms, or between files where the target file has a subset of the licenses of the source file (e.g. MPL/LGPL/GPL -> MPL). For any other transfer, consult the licensing team first.
This concludes the list of licenses acceptable to mozilla.org for use with Mozilla code. If you happen to find a file in the Mozilla source tree under a license which does not conform to the pattern above, please report it to licensing@mozilla.org.