Understanding Software Licences in Your Deliverable
The software we deliver for you will typically include a mix of custom-written code and third-party open-source or commercial components. Understanding the licensing landscape is important for your legal and compliance team.
What Is a Software Licence?
A software licence is a legal agreement that governs how software can be used, modified, and distributed. When we include third-party libraries or components in your system, we comply with the licence terms of each component.
Common Open-Source Licence Types
- MIT / BSD / Apache 2.0: Very permissive. You can use, modify, and redistribute the software with minimal restrictions. No "copyleft" obligation.
- LGPL (Lesser GPL): Permissive for use in proprietary applications, but any modifications to the LGPL library itself must be open-sourced.
- GPL (GNU General Public Licence): "Copyleft" — if you distribute software that contains GPL code, you must release your source code under GPL. We generally avoid GPL in client deliverables unless specifically agreed.
- AGPL: Like GPL but applies even to software accessed over a network. We flag this explicitly whenever it arises.
- Commercial licences: Some components require paid licences. We identify these at project start and ensure licence costs are included in your budget.
What You Receive
At project handover, we provide:
- A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) listing all third-party components and their licence types
- Confirmation that no incompatible licences are present
- Identification of any components requiring paid commercial licences