Open Content License
Template:Short description Template:Infobox software license The Open Content License<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> is a share-alike public copyright license by Open Content Project in 1998.<ref name="wiley"/> The license can be applied to a work to make it open content. It is one of the earliest non-software free content licenses.
History and receptionEdit
The Open Content License, dated July 14, 1998, predates the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) and other non-software public licenses. Though discussions were held between David A. Wiley, creator of the Open Content License, and Richard Stallman, leader of the Free Software Foundation, who created the GNU General Public License for software and would create the GFDL.<ref name="grossman">Template:Cite news</ref> The license text is titled "OpenContent License (OPL)".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "OPL" stood for OpenContent Principles and License.<ref>Updating the OpenContent License and Clarifying a Few Things</ref>
This license is not compatible with most other licenses (beside permissive licenses) in that it requires derivative works to be licensed under the Open Content License (Viral license). With the exception of media and handling costs, it forbids charging for copies of a licensed work, but does not otherwise forbid commercial use.<ref>OpenContent License (OPL)</ref>
Another license released a year later, also by the Open Content Project, is called the Open Publication License. The OpenContent as well as the Open Publication license were succeeded by the Creative Commons licenses in 2003.<ref>OpenContent is officially closed. And that's just fine. on opencontent.org (30 June 2003, archived)</ref><ref name="wiley"/>
A project licensed under the OPL is Open Icecat, which was launched in 2005 as a global open catalogue for e-commerce, and is embraced by the tech sector.