The CPL (Common Public License) is a free software / open-source software license published by IBM. Its license terms have been approved by the Open Source Initiative and Free Software Foundation. The Eclipse IDE is an example of work distributed under the CPL. The CPL attempts to support and encourage collaborative open source development, while still retaining the ability to use the CPL'd content with software licensed under other licenses, including many proprietary licenses. Free software, as defined by the Free Software Foundation, is software which can be used, copied, studied, modified and redistributed without restriction. ... Open source software refers to computer software available with its source code and under an open source license to study, change, and improve its design. ... International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) NYSE: IBM (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, NY, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, infrastructure services and consulting services. ... The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software. ... The Free Software Foundation logo The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit organization founded in October 1985 by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement (free as in freedom), and in particular the GNU project. ... Eclipse is an open source platform-independent software framework for delivering what the project calls rich-client applications, as opposed to thin client browser-based applications. ... Proprietary software is software that has restrictions on using and copying it, usually enforced by a proprietor. ...

The CPL is a copyleft license, broadly similar to the GNU General Public License in its terms. The main difference is in a patent clause designed to prevent unscrupulous contributors from contributing code which infringes on their patents, and then attempting to charge royalties; in such a situation, the CPL requires the contributor to grant a royalty-free license to all recipients. This additional requirement renders the CPL incompatible with the GPL (in the opinion of Eben Moglen, and the GNU website), though it is possible that a future version of the GPL will adopt a similar, compatible clause. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The GNU logo The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is the most popular free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU project. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a person for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or composition of matter (substance) (known as an invention) which is new, inventive, and... Software patents are a type of intellectual property and one of many legal aspects of computing. ... Eben Moglen Eben Moglen is a professor of law and history of law at Columbia University, serves pro bono as General Counsel for the Free Software Foundation, and is the Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center. ... GNU (pronounced ) is a free software operating system. ...

Microsoft has released their Windows Installer XML (WiX) developer tool, Windows Template Library (WTL) and the FlexWiki engine under the CPL as Sourceforge projects. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT, SEHK: 4338) is an international computer technology corporation with 2005 global annual sales of close to $40 billion USD and about 64,000 employees in 85 countries and regions which develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices. ... WiX is an XML toolset that builds Microsoft Installer (MSI) packages from an XML document. ... The Windows Template Library (WTL) is an object-oriented Win32 encapsulation C++ library by Microsoft. ... FlexWiki is an open source wiki engine written primarily by David Ornstein and which is part of Microsofts Shared source initiative. ... SourceForge is a collaborative software development management system. ...

External links

• CPL Frequently Asked Questions
• The CPL License