IBM Public License

The IBM Public License (IPL ) is a designed by IBM open source license that is recognized by the Open Source Initiative and the Free Software Foundation (FSF ), although it is incompatible with the GNU General Public License ( GPL).

Unlike the GNU GPL lets the publisher or publisher (distributor) for the Licensed Software stick. According to IBM, this will facilitate the commercial use of programs without those who contribute and to suspend the risk of being held liable for bugs. Proponents of the license argue that they more clearly than the GNU GPL defines who is responsible for the software.

The license is incompatible with the GNU GPL, because it contains additional restrictions. According to the FSF "requires [ the IPL ] certain patent licenses which are not required by the GPL. ( We do not believe that such a patent license requirements are a bad idea in itself, but they are nevertheless incompatible with the GNU GPL ) "( Original (english ) ". It requires Certain patent licenses be givenName did the GPL does not require ( We don ' t think Those patent license requirements are inherently a bad idea, but Nonetheless They Are incompatible with the GNU GPL. ) " )

The IPL also differs in the treatment of software patents by the GNU GPL by announcing the license once it comes to patent disputes.

The license has been criticized because of provisions in the Section 4, the demands of commercial distributors of the licensed source code, to compensate all those who have contributed to this source for legal costs that may arise from possible lawsuits from users of the software. It has been criticized that small distributors (such as Linux distributions that are sold on CDs) would be forced to pay damages for theoretically unlimited high court costs.

Examples of software that has been licensed with the IPL, is now no longer cared Java compiler Jikes and the Postfix mail transfer agent.