Author: Cory Fields 2017-09-27 21:20:26
Published on: 2017-09-27T21:20:26+00:00
After reviewing a repository, Cory provides context on the licenses used in various files for the Bitcoin Core project. The Apache License 2.0 is used by bindings that allow other applications to use libsecp256k1 from Java, while the Boost Software License 1.0 comes from tinyformat.h and is used by Bitcoin Core. BSD 2-clause "Simplified" License was not found in any files. BSD 3-clause "New" or "Revised" License comes from leveldb, which is database software used by Bitcoin Core. Additionally, some non-upstream files are used in the leveldb tree to provide windows support. Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 seems to be the default behavior of inkscape, which was used to create GUI svg icons, but all icons not created by the team are listed in contrib/debian/copyright (they're all expat/public domain). Expat License is similar to MIT. Debian packaging resources are licensed gplv2+. The macdeploy script, which creates DMG files for macOS, is gplv3. Authproxy.py, a python script used in the test suite, is licensed lgpl v2.1+. There are two m4 files with a macro that builds code which builds code; they are used in the build process only. Licenses for "A fast alternative to the modulo reduction" and atomic by Timm Kosse are referenced in comments but not actually used in the code. Finally, clang-format-diff.py, a python script optionally used by developers to clean up code changes, is licensed under University of Illinois/NCSA Open Source License. All source files comprising Bitcoin Core binaries are licensed (excluding public domain ones) as MIT, BSD, or Boost. Many of the files in the Bitcoin Core repository are used for optional programs/libraries. None of the artwork, for example, is needed for the primary bitcoin daemon.
Updated on: 2023-06-12T19:02:13.805286+00:00