FreeDict HOWTO – Licensing And Copyright

Licensing and Copyright

The FreeDict project including all content, documentation and tools is Free Software. Any dictionary to be considered for archiving and release by this project must first be Free, Open Source Software (or free and open data).

The developers of a dictionary may always hold the copyright to their particular dictionary. There are a number of available licenses that provide that to you.

This means you must release the dictionary under a free and open source license, as i.e. the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License (GPL Version 3 or later), a License of compatible type or a license which has been approved as a free software license by the FSF.

Alternatively you may formally release the dictionary to the Public Domain. You should understand that in doing so you have no easy way of stopping anybody from capturing your content and locking it up under their own Copyright and/or License. We don't recommend this.

We do recommend the GPL Version 3 or the GNU Free Documentation License. Of course it's your choice. Both of these licenses (and those that are compatible with them), protect you and your Copyright. Briefly; they say you are releasing the dictionary: 1/ In the hope that it will be useful, 2/ With no warranty to it's fitness or otherwise for any use, and 3/ You allow free use and access to the work, provided the user passes on the same right if any substantial part of the work is included in their own.

Please understand that FreeDict will not agree to any license that does not meet or agree the principle of free and open source software. For some examples of licenses see: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html.