Common Public License

A SoftwareLicense?, written by IBM and approved as an OpenSourceLicense by the OSI: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/cpl.html

I am not a lawyer, but here's my best attempt at summarizing this license:

Section 1 defines a few terms.

Section 2: Anyone who receives the product can do pretty much anything with the product -- reproduce it, re-distribute it, make derivative works from it, etc. This includes complete patent license to do whatever they want with the product -- make it, use it, sell it, etc.

Section 3: The product can be distributed in compiled form or in source code form. If it's distributed in compiled form, it must include the CPL, its own license, one of those "no warranties or liabilities, express or implied" disclaimers, and an explanation of how to get the source code if wanted. If the product is distributed in source form, it must include the CPL and its own license.

Section 4: If someone sues you over your distribution, you have to shoulder the responsibility of defending or indemnifying all the other previous contributors to this product, if necessary. So, if you make claims about the software, you can't point fingers at any of the other contributors.

Section 5: The product has no warranty of any kind.

Section 6: The distributors and contributors don't have to pay for damages.

Section 7: A bunch of details: If any part of this license becomes invalid, the rest of it remains valid. If any patent litigation is begun against a contributor, the contributor's patents to the attacker are immediately terminated. If someone fails to comply with this license, his/her rights under this license go down the toilet. Anyone can copy and distribute this license, but only the "Agreement Steward" (for now, IBM) can modify the license. If someone does something naughty, you have one year to sue. If you do sue, you can't have a trial by jury.