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Creative Commons offers noncommercial licenses even more restrictive than Commons Clause.

I'd've picked a different name, too. But the idea that "commons" means only open source, or only free software, doesn't sit right. Compared to pulling their software back as fully closed or source-available, all-rights-reserved, a Commons Clause combo makes a lot more available.



Creative Commons specifically recommends against the use of any of their licenses for software. The CC licenses are primarily intended to be applied to artistic works, and the NC/ND variants make a lot more sense in that context.


You're right. And I'm well aware. But I don't think that changes my point on "commons". CC-BY-NC is a "commons" license for artwork, music, screenplays, scripts, poems, and novels. Why wouldn't a noncommercial software license be a "commons" license, as well?


They make an exception for CC0 though [0].

[0] https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/CC0_FAQ#May_I_apply_CC...


CC0 is basically a public domain contribution with a very permissive fallback, and is very unlike any of their other licenses.

But this is getting off-track -- the CC licenses being discussed are the ones other than CC0.


CC0 was proposed to OSI approval, but hung up, due largely to the fact that it expressly says it does not cover patent rights.




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