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I have a project I've been working on which I would like to push into a new, public Github repository as open source. After searching on StackExchange for the right license to use I've settled on the BSD license.

My question is: now what? Do I just need to copy the BSD license text into a file called LICENSE in the root of my repository and call it good? Is that the general rule for how all open source licenses work? Or do I need to notify some other organization that I'm using this license so I can 'enforce' it if necessary?

Robert Harvey
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Chris Smith
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    This question contains potentially useful similar license information. (Particularly the accepted answer) http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/26761/summarize-terms-of-service – John Dec 19 '10 at 03:49
  • @John - "shurely some mistook". The question you linked to is about terms of service, not software licenses. – Stephen C Dec 19 '10 at 07:03
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    @John - useful, but not relevant to **this** question. I could "usefully" tell him about alternatives to github, or that open source is the "spawn of the devil", or that he should brush his teeth every morning. But I don't ... because it is irrelevant to the question asked. – Stephen C Dec 19 '10 at 22:23
  • @Stephen: How is "If you're worried about about being sued, then get a lawyer" not relevant? To be clear, I'm not saying the question is a dupe. IMHO, it's not. – John Dec 19 '10 at 22:29
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    It is irrelevant because he is *not* worried about being sued. Is that clear enough for you? – Stephen C Dec 20 '10 at 07:36
  • possible duplicate of [Options for Opensource license?](http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/140876/options-for-opensource-license) – gnat Apr 14 '13 at 07:31
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    @gnat: No, this question is about how to *apply* the license once you have made a choice already. – Martijn Pieters Apr 14 '13 at 09:30
  • @MartijnPieters I see. Not a dupe indeed – gnat Apr 14 '13 at 09:39
  • possible duplicate of [How are software licenses applied?](http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/78300/how-are-software-licenses-applied) – gnat Feb 04 '15 at 22:19

2 Answers2

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It is sufficient to attach the licence file in your work. However it is normally preferable to add a small comment stating who owns the copyright and where to find the full licence text at the top of each source file.

You do not need to notify any organisation to enforce your licence if someone breaks the terms, although it will require you to take them to court.

Dipan Mehta
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david4dev
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  • Don't forget to fill in your name (the name of the entity that holds the copyright) and copyright year. (Unlike this one, for example: https://github.com/MikaelEliasson/EntityFramework.Utilities/blob/master/EntityFramework.Utilities/LICENSE.txt ) – John B. Lambe Nov 04 '18 at 17:59
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If you have decided on a particular license suits your needs, then putting a License.txt file in a prominent place in the distro should be sufficient. Also, you should make sure that the github metadata for your project, Maven POM files and so on also declare the licensing in the appropriate way.

Or do I need to notify some other organization that I'm using this license so I can 'enforce' it if necessary?

It is not necessary. Enforcement of the license is entirely your responsibility. (Not that there is a lot to enforce .... with a BSD license.)

However, if you were prepared to use a GNU license and assign copyright to the FSF (and your project is worth protecting), they would take care of enforcement of the license.

Stephen C
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  • On the other hand, that way you would lose your copyright, and if you ever decided to use your own software that you worked hard for in a proprietary way, you would be shafted. Once you sign over your copyright, it can be enforced against you as well. – gnasher729 Jul 12 '15 at 12:37
  • That is true. If you have ambitions for using your code in a proprietary way, you should be spending a lot more time investigating the implications of the various choices you have on releasing and licensing code and enforcing your IP rights. – Stephen C Jul 13 '15 at 11:18