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I've found a software library, licensed under the new BSD license.
I want to use in my closed source commercial project. Can I do it?

apaderno
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kravemir
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2 Answers2

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Did you read the license? Because it's pretty short and I think easy to understand. Unless your lawyer tells you otherwise, I'd say that yes, you can use the code, but you have to put their notice & disclaimer in your documentation (about box, whatever).

Michael Kohne
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    You say `it's pretty short and I think easy to understand`, and right after you're not 100% sure with your answer: `Unless your lawyer tells you otherwise, I'd say ...`. – kravemir Jun 26 '17 at 07:36
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    @kravemir: I am sure of my answer. However, I am neither a lawyer, nor am I you. It may well be that you are bound by some contract or circumstance that would make it impossible for you to use this code. That's stuff I can't possibly know, and therefore can't issue absolute statements about. – Michael Kohne Jun 26 '17 at 11:45
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    I see what you mean. But, I didn't ask, whether BSD license conflicts my contract. But, it's good to point at related things. So, you're 100% sure, that BSD library can be used commercially in a closed source project, if there aren't any limitations by contract associated with the project. – kravemir Jun 26 '17 at 17:08
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Yes. You can use BSD-licensed projects in closed-source, commercial projects. You must include the original copyright and license.

From WikiPedia's BSD License page:

The BSD License allows proprietary use and allows the software released under the license to be incorporated into proprietary products. Works based on the material may be released under a proprietary license as closed source software, allowing usual commercial usages under.

Michael Thompson
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  • Can the same be said for government use? – Al Lelopath Jul 23 '19 at 17:34
  • The BSD license allows it. An organisation (company, government agency etc. ) can have its own rules that disallow use of BSD. That’s their problem. If your boss disallows use of BSD libraries, for whatever wrong reasons, you can’t use BSD libraries. – gnasher729 Jan 04 '22 at 12:16