Open-Source Licence Compatibility Checker
Where IP meets regulation in fast-moving technology: open-source licensing, AI governance across the EU, India and the US, chip layout-design protection, and climate-tech classification.
Key developmentsUpdated Oct 2026 · 3 items
- CRA main obligations applyUpcoming
Essential cybersecurity requirements and conformity assessment apply to products placed on the EU market.
Source: European Commission ↗ - CRA vulnerability and incident reporting begins
Manufacturers report actively exploited vulnerabilities through ENISA's Single Reporting Platform; open-source stewards are covered where involved in product development.
Source: ENISA ↗ - EU Cyber Resilience Act enters into force
Security-by-design duties for products with digital elements, with a lighter regime for open-source stewards.
Source: European Commission ↗
Example stack loaded. Remove rows with ×.
| Inbound | Result | Why / what to do | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIT | Compatible | Keep the copyright and licence notice in your distribution or notices file. | |
| Apache-2.0 | Compatible | Keep NOTICE file contents, mark modified files, and note the patent licence ends if you sue over the work. | |
| LGPL-2.1 | With conditions | Link dynamically, allow users to replace the library, permit reverse engineering for debugging, and ship the LGPL source and licence. | |
| MPL-2.0 | With conditions | File-level copyleft. Keep MPL files under MPL and make their source (with your changes) available; your own files can stay under your licence. | |
| GPL-3.0 | Conflict | Strong copyleft. A distributed combined work must be GPL-3.0. Isolate it as a separate program or replace it. |
Covers common SPDX licences and the standard compatibility positions: Apache-2.0 with GPL-2.0-only, LGPL linking, AGPL network use and MPL secondary licences. It does not read licence exceptions, dual licensing or file-level notices. Not legal advice.
Desk reference · What each licence family asks of you
| Family | Examples | Triggered by | Core obligation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permissive | MIT, BSD, ISC | Distribution | Keep copyright and licence notices |
| Permissive + patent | Apache-2.0 | Distribution | Notices, NOTICE file, mark changes; patent licence ends on patent suit |
| File-level copyleft | MPL-2.0 | Distribution | Source of modified MPL files stays available under MPL |
| Library copyleft | LGPL-2.1, LGPL-3.0 | Distribution | Library source; users can relink a modified library |
| Strong copyleft | GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0 | Distribution | Whole combined work under the GPL with corresponding source |
| Network copyleft | AGPL-3.0 | Distribution or network use | As GPL-3.0, plus source offer to remote users of modified versions |
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Can Apache-2.0 code be combined with GPL-2.0-only code?
Not in a distributed work. The patent-termination and indemnity terms in Apache-2.0 are treated as incompatible with GPL-2.0-only. Apache-2.0 code can be combined with GPL-3.0, or with GPL-2.0-or-later code distributed under version 3.
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