Editing Common Public License

{{Short description|Free-software license}}
{{Infobox software license
| name = Common Public License
| author = [[IBM]]
| version = 1.0
| copyright = [[IBM]]
| date = {{Start date and age|2001|05}}
| OSI approved = Yes<ref name="OSILicenseList">{{cite web | url = https://opensource.org/licenses/category | title = Open Source Licenses by Category | date = 19 September 2006 | access-date = 2016-10-05 }}</ref>
| Debian approved = Yes<ref>[http://wiki.debian.org/DFSGLicenses#CommonPublicLicense.28CPL.29.2CVersion1.0 List of DFSG (Debian Free Software Guidelines) approved Licenses]</ref>
| Free Software = Yes<ref name="FSFLicenseList">{{cite web | url = https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html#CommonPublicLicense10 | title = Various Licenses and Comments about Them | access-date = 2016-10-05 }}</ref>
| GPL compatible = No<ref name="FSFLicenseList" />
| copyleft = Limited<ref name="FSFLicenseList" />
| copyfree = No
| linking = Yes
}}

In [[computing]], the '''Common Public License''' ('''CPL''') is a [[free software]] / [[open-source software]] license published by [[IBM]]. The [[Free Software Foundation]] and [[Open Source Initiative]] have approved the license terms of the CPL.

==Definition==
The CPL has the stated aims of supporting and encouraging collaborative [[open-source model|open-source]] development while still retaining the ability to use the CPL'd content with software licensed under other licenses, including many [[proprietary software|proprietary]] licenses. The [[Eclipse Public License]] (EPL) consists of a slightly modified version of the CPL.

The CPL has some terms that resemble those of the [[GNU General Public License]] (GPL), but some key differences exist. A similarity relates to distribution of a modified [[computer program]]: under either license (CPL or GPL), one must make the source code of a modified program available to others.

CPL, like the [[GNU Lesser General Public License]], allows non-CPL-licensed software to link to a library under CPL without requiring the linked source code to be made available to the licensee.

CPL lacks compatibility with both versions of the GPL because it has a "[[Choice of law clause|choice of law]]" section in section 7, which restricts legal disputes to a certain court.  Another source of incompatibility is the differing [[copyleft]] requirements.<ref name="FSFLicenseList" />

To reduce the number of open source licenses, IBM and Eclipse Foundation agreed upon using solely the [[Eclipse Public License]] in the future.<ref>[http://mmilinkov.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/one-small-step-towards-reducing-license-proliferation/ Mike Milinkovich - One Small Step Towards Reducing License Proliferation]</ref> Open Source Initiative therefore lists the Common Public License as deprecated and superseded by EPL.

==Projects using the Common Public License==
* [[Microsoft]] has released its [[WiX|Windows Installer XML]] (WiX) developer tool, [[Windows Template Library]] (WTL) and the [[FlexWiki]] engine under the CPL as [[SourceForge]] projects.
* Some projects of the [[COIN-OR]] Foundation use the CPL.

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[Software license]]
* [[:Category:Software using the Common Public License|Software using the Common Public License (category)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://opensource.org/license/cpl1-0-txt/ Open Source Initiative The CPL License]
* [http://www.ibm.com/docs/en/linux-on-systems?topic=examples-common-public-license-v10 The CPL License from IBM]
* [http://www.coin-or.org The COIN-OR web page]

{{IBM}}
{{IBM FOSS}}

[[Category:IBM]]
[[Category:Free and open-source software licenses]]
[[Category:Copyleft software licenses]]

[[de:Eclipse Public License]]