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permissive license

A Permissive License is a type of open source license that guarantees freedom of use, modification, and redistribution with minimal barriers (typically only requiring attribution). Unlike "Copyleft" licenses (like GPL) which mandate that derivative works also be open source, permissive licenses allow the code to be incorporated into proprietary software without legal obligation.

Strategic Role in the COSS Asset Class
In the COSSA framework, the Permissive License is the lubricant of the Open Core flywheel. It is strategically deployed to maximize the "Zero-Marginal Cost Distribution" of the Core:
  1. Removes Friction: By eliminating the viral obligations of Copyleft, it allows enterprises and startups to adopt the Core into their stack immediately (the "git clone") without triggering a legal review.
  2. Establishes the Standard: Ubiquity is the goal of the Core. A permissive license ensures the widest possible funnel, allowing the technology to become the default standard (e.g., Kubernetes, React).
  3. The "Trap": The strategic risk is using a permissive license for the entire stack. While the Core must be permissive to drive adoption, the commercial "crust" must be restricted (Source-Available or Proprietary) to capture value .
The Standard: The most common permissive licenses in the COSS ecosystem are Apache 2.0 (used by 32% of projects) and MIT (24%) . The COSS Covenant explicitly mandates that the "core" be permissively licensed to ensure it remains "always free" .


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