Why Does Open Source Require A License?
The simplest explanation is that open source licenses are legal and binding contracts between the author and the user of a software component, declaring that the software can be used in commercial applications under specified conditions. The license is what turns code into an open source component.
Do you have to pay for a license to use open source software?
Absolutely. All Open Source software can be used for commercial purpose; the Open Source Definition guarantees this. ... In particular, copyleft-style Open Source licenses require that, in at least some cases, when you distribute the software, you must do so under the same license you received it under.
Frequently Answered Questions | Open Source Initiative
Does open source mean no license?
If a repository has no license, then all rights are reserved and it is not Open Source or Free. You cannot modify or redistribute this code without explicit permission from the copyright holder.
What can I assume if a publicly published project has no license?
Why is license important for open source software tools?
In general, licenses “provide access rules that allow other people to go through the legal firewall and use the intellectual property” (Lindberg, 2008). In open source software, licenses express how the software can be used further by the potential users differentiating between user rights and obligations.
An insight into license tools for open source software systems