# Licence issues **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [December 16, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/licence-issues/180258 "2009-12-16T02:30:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rlwinter)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/licence-issues/180258/1 "2009-12-16T02:30:39Z")
Hi, I am planning to release a new gem. The licence issue is overwhelming though. I would like everyone to be able to use the source code, modify and redistribute it freely. Also, I wouldn’t like to be liable for any claims. On top of all this it would be nice to get some donations if someone decides to use it commercially. Do you have any suggestion on the type of licence? Cheers, Robert ---
**Author:** ![rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rlwinter)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/licence-issues/180258/2 "2009-12-16T02:41:11Z")
On Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 5:21 PM, Robert W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I would like everyone to be able to use the source code, modify and > redistribute it freely. Excellent. > Also, I wouldn’t like to be liable for any claims. Pretty standard. > On top of all this it would be nice to get some donations if someone decides > to use it commercially. That’s not really a licensing issue. You could explicitly license it for non-commercial use only, but it’s probably better to just ask nicely and hope people follow through. > Do you have any suggestion on the type of licence? MIT/BSD. Ben ---
**Author:** ![rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rlwinter)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/licence-issues/180258/3 "2009-12-16T19:32:33Z")
On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:40:31AM +0900, Ben B. wrote: > > Do you have any suggestion on the type of licence? > > MIT/BSD. Or GPL, or public domain (which isn’t recognized in some legislations though AFAIR). Sorry, there’s no one true answer to your question – you could probably settle with “Ruby’s license” as something “default”. ---
**Author:** ![rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rlwinter)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/licence-issues/180258/4 "2009-12-16T21:51:50Z")
Hi, Am Donnerstag, 17. Dez 2009, 03:14:33 +0900 schrieb Michael S.: > On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:40:31AM +0900, Ben B. wrote: > > > > Do you have any suggestion on the type of licence? > > > MIT/BSD. > > Or GPL, […] > Sorry, there’s no one true answer to your question […] I prefer BSD because it is so short that I can read it to the end in a reasonable time. Bertram ---
**Author:** ![rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rlwinter)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/licence-issues/180258/5 "2009-12-17T00:42:08Z")
On Wednesday 16 December 2009 05:21:00 pm Marnen Laibow-Koser wrote: > > > Sorry, there’s no one true answer to your question […] > > > > I prefer BSD because it is so short that I can read it to the end > > in a reasonable time. > > Yup. Also, it’s not “viral” like the GPL. That could be a good or bad thing. I almost wish there was a “viral” license that was short enough – though as long as the GPL is, it does actually seem to be human-readable. But I prefer BSD for both reasons – both because I’m no longer as militantly Free Software as I used to be, and because I don’t like any license bigger than my head. ---
**Author:** ![rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@rlwinter](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rlwinter)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/licence-issues/180258/6 "2009-12-17T00:20:46Z")
Bertram S. wrote: > Hi, > > Am Donnerstag, 17. Dez 2009, 03:14:33 +0900 schrieb Michael S.: > > > On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 10:40:31AM +0900, Ben B. wrote: > > > > > > Do you have any suggestion on the type of licence? > > > > MIT/BSD. > > > > Or GPL, […] > > Sorry, there’s no one true answer to your question […] > > I prefer BSD because it is so short that I can read it to the end > in a reasonable time. Yup. Also, it’s not “viral” like the GPL. > Bertram Best, – Marnen Laibow-Koser [http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid