The Sun Community Source License (SCSL) is a community source software licensing model designed by

Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc., often known as Sun for short, was an American technology company that existed from 1982 to 2010 which developed and sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services. Sun contributed sig ...

that covers the J2SE and J2EE software development kits. Sun introduced the SCSL in 1998 to maintain compatibility within the

Java platform Java is a set of computer software and specifications that provides a software platform for developing application software and deploying it in a cross-platform computing environment. Java is used in a wide variety of computing platforms fr ...

and make code available for commercial use. In 2004, Sun began to favor the simpler

Java Research License The Java Research License (JRL) is a software distribution license created by Sun in an effort to simplify and relax the terms from the "research section" of the Sun Community Source License. Sun's J2SE 1.6.0, '' Mustang'', is licensed under th ...

for noncommercial use.{{cite news , first=Martin , last=LaMonica , title=Sun looks to sweeten Java , date=2005-03-16 , url =http://www.zdnetasia.com/sun-looks-to-sweeten-java-39221780.htm , work =ZD Net , access-date = 2010-04-07 The SCSL includes elements similar to an

open-source license Open-source licenses are software licenses that allow content to be used, modified, and shared. They facilitate free and open-source software (FOSS) development. Intellectual property (IP) laws restrict the modification and sharing of creative ...

, but it has significant differences, such as a requirement that code is compatible with Java standards and commercial derivative works are subject to licensing fees. The SCSL is not considered a

free software license A free-software license is a notice that grants the recipient of a piece of software extensive rights to modify and redistribute that software. These actions are usually prohibited by copyright law, but the rights-holder (usually the author) ...

References

External links

SUN COMMUNITY SOURCE LICENSE Version 2.8 (Rev. Date January 17, 2001)
Software licensing Sun Microsystems