Microsoft Reciprocal License

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The Microsoft Reciprocal License , or Ms-RL for short (originally Microsoft Community License , Ms-CL ) is one of the first two open source licenses from Microsoft . This license was recognized as open source by the OSI just like the Ms-PL on October 12, 2007. This makes these two licenses the first Microsoft licenses to meet all of the 10 OSI criteria.

Microsoft applied for recognition as Open Source on August 10, 2007 under the name Microsoft Community License (Ms-CL). In the course of the discussion about recognition, the name was changed because the old name was not accepted. The Ms-CL has been used by Microsoft since 2005.

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The Ms-RL has the same wording as the Ms-PL except for one point, namely:

  • The prohibition of the unauthorized use of trademarks , logos or names of (co-) creators of the software.
  • The termination of a license granted by the patent holder if software distributed under the Ms-RL infringes these patents and claims are asserted.
  • The retention of the copyright , all patents, trademarks and allocation rights of the software in the event of redistribution
  • A copyleft for the software under license when distributed as source code
  • When distributing in compiled form, a license must be selected that does not contradict the Ms-RL.
  • Disclaimer of liability

The difference is in point 3A, which describes the reciprocity between licensor and licensee, which gives the Ms-RL its name:

  • Any file that contains code from software licensed under Ms-RL, whether as source code or binary, may only be passed on together with the complete source code of this file and a copy of the license text. Files that only contain self-written code remain unaffected.

All files under this license can therefore be distributed together with other files under a different license. A relicensing of the original or modified files e.g. B. GPL is not possible. Since only changed third-party code has to remain open, the commercial use of this license is almost as unproblematic as that of the Ms-PL. However, this is incompatible with most other open source licenses. According to Microsoft, the ban on the unauthorized use of trademarks, logos or names was the main reason for creating these new licenses instead of using existing ones. Otherwise, it is similar in its statement to the Common Development and Distribution License based on the Mozilla Public License .

Web links

Commons : Microsoft Reciprocal License  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/charlie/2007/10/23/open-source-initiative-approves-microsoft-licenses/
  2. OSI Approves Microsoft License Submissions
  3. Application to OSI (English)
  4. License text (English)