The Unlicense

Business Profile

Core Value Proposition

The Unlicense provides a template for dedicating software to the public domain by disclaiming copyright interest and including a no-warranty usage statement.

Target Customer

Software developers and open-source project maintainers seeking a simple, universal licensing approach; contributors to software projects.

Key Differentiator

Combines a SQLite-style copyright waiver with a MIT/X11-style no-warranty disclaimer, plus explicit guidance to use a UNLICENSE file and a long-running, maintained framework (Created and maintained since 2010 by Arto Bendiken).

Implementation Timeline

Immediate upon adding the UNLICENSE statement to a project and, if publishing to registries, setting the license field to Unlicense.

Pain Points

1Licensing decisions across multiple dependencies and contributors can be complex and time-consuming.
2Worries about licensing compatibility and restrictions slowing Open Source usage and contributions.
3Desire for a simple, explicit path to placing code in the public domain without licensing friction.

Key Features

1Standard Unlicense text for disclaiming copyright and dedicating code to the public domain.
2Guidance on file naming (UNLICENSE) and how to publish with a license field set to Unlicense.
3Examples and pointers to projects that have adopted the Unlicense or derivatives.
4Contributor guidance, including example statements and waivers (e.g., WAIVER) to manage contributions.
5Cross-repo guidance for publishing to registries (e.g., NPM, PyPI) and locating unencumbered code via search.

Target Customer Industries

Client Results

1Broad adoption across repositories using the Unlicense (as of November 2024, 358,000+ distinct repositories).

Competitive Advantages

1Extremely broad permissions: copy, modify, publish, use, compile, sell, or distribute for any purpose (commercial or non-commercial).
2Eliminates licensing compatibility concerns with other software by using a public-domain framework.
3Facilitates contributor alignment through explicit dedication statements and waivers.
4Easy discoverability and adoption via the UNLICENSE file and registry practices.

Key Benefits

1Dedicates code to the public domain and allows broad reuse with no restrictions on copying, modifying, distributing, or selling.

2No warranty; explicit relinquishment of future rights to the software under copyright law.

3Simple adoption process (UNLICENSE file) and compatibility with registry practices (license: Unlicense).

Case Studies & Success Stories

RDF.rb contributor process example

Case #1

Mentions a concrete example of this contributor process and references how the unlicensed RDF.rb project has handled it.

Additional Product Information

Product Description

A license template to disclaim copyright monopoly in software and dedicate it to the public domain, combining a SQLite-style copyright waiver with a MIT/X11-style no-warranty disclaimer.

Target Market

Software developers, open-source project maintainers, and contributors seeking a simple, universal license for their code.

Unique Value Proposition

A clear, standardized path to public-domain licensing for software, backed by a long-running, openly maintained framework and a catalog of projects adopting the license.

Technical Requirements

Add a UNLICENSE file to the project containing the license text; (when publishing) set the license field to Unlicense in registries; traditionally, licensing text could be placed in a file named UNLICENSE (recommended) instead of COPYING or LICENSE.

Pricing Model

Free to use; no licensing costs associated with adopting The Unlicense.

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