Why Fedora Decided To Give CC0 Licensed Code The Boot

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

The term open source" can be tricky. For many people, it's taken to mean that a particular piece of software is free and that they can do whatever they wish with it. But the reality is far more complex, and the actual rights you're afforded as the user depend entirely on which license the developers chose to release their code under. Open source code can cost money, open source code can place limits on how you use it, and in some cases, open source code can even get you into trouble down the line.

Which is precisely what the Fedora Project is looking to avoid with their recent decision to reject all code licensed under the Creative Common's Public Domain Dedication" CC0 license. It will still be allowed for content such as artwork, and there may even be exceptions made for existing packages on a case-by-case basis, but CC0 will soon be stricken from the list of accepted code licenses for all new submissions.

[...] Those familiar with the Creative Commons and their family of licenses may find the most surprisingly element of this story is that the Fedora Project once accepted CC0 for software in the first place. After all, the intent was always to create a series of licenses specifically for creative works. The goal of the organization and its licenses is literally right in the name.

[...] The Creative Commons FAQ outlines several excellent reasons their licenses shouldn't be used for software, but among them, there is one that particularly stands out for users like the Fedora Project - patent rights.

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