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class="vector-dropdown " title="Change the appearance of the page's font size, width, and color" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Appearance" > <label id="vector-appearance-dropdown-label" for="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-appearance mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-appearance"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Appearance</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-notifications" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-overflow" class="vector-menu mw-portlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en" class=""><span>Donate</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-createaccount-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Public-domain+software" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory" class=""><span>Create account</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-login-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" 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[o]" accesskey="o" class=""><span>Log in</span></a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div id="vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-user-menu vector-button-flush-right vector-user-menu-logged-out" title="Log in and more options" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Personal tools" > <label id="vector-user-links-dropdown-label" for="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-ellipsis mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-ellipsis"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Personal tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-personal" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-personal user-links-collapsible-item" title="User menu" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en"><span>Donate</span></a></li><li id="pt-createaccount" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Public-domain+software" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-userAdd mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-userAdd"></span> <span>Create account</span></a></li><li id="pt-login" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Public-domain+software" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-logIn mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-logIn"></span> <span>Log in</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-user-menu-anon-editor" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-user-menu-anon-editor" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Pages for logged out editors <a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" aria-label="Learn more about editing"><span>learn more</span></a> </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-anoncontribs" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyContributions" title="A list of edits made from this IP address [y]" accesskey="y"><span>Contributions</span></a></li><li id="pt-anontalk" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyTalk" title="Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]" accesskey="n"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </header> </div> <div class="mw-page-container"> <div class="mw-page-container-inner"> <div class="vector-sitenotice-container"> <div id="siteNotice"></div> </div> <div class="vector-column-start"> <div class="vector-main-menu-container"> <div id="mw-navigation"> <nav id="mw-panel" class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav id="mw-panel-toc" aria-label="Contents" data-event-name="ui.sidebar-toc" class="mw-table-of-contents-container vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-toc-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-toc" class="vector-toc vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-toc-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="toc-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-toc" > <h2 class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Contents</h2> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.unpin">hide</button> </div> <ul class="vector-toc-contents" id="mw-panel-toc-list"> <li id="toc-mw-content-text" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a href="#" class="vector-toc-link"> <div class="vector-toc-text">(Top)</div> </a> </li> <li id="toc-History" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#History"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1</span> <span>History</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-History-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle History subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-History-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Early_academic_public-domain_software_ecosystem" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Early_academic_public-domain_software_ecosystem"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Early academic public-domain software ecosystem</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Early_academic_public-domain_software_ecosystem-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Free_and_open-source_software_as_successor" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Free_and_open-source_software_as_successor"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Free and open-source software as successor</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Free_and_open-source_software_as_successor-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Post-copyright_public_domain" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Post-copyright_public_domain"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3</span> <span>Post-copyright public domain</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Post-copyright_public_domain-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Passing_of_software_into_the_public_domain" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Passing_of_software_into_the_public_domain"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Passing of software into the public domain</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Passing_of_software_into_the_public_domain-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Passing of software into the public domain subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Passing_of_software_into_the_public_domain-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Release_without_copyright_notice" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Release_without_copyright_notice"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Release without copyright notice</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Release_without_copyright_notice-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Leaving_the_copyright_term" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Leaving_the_copyright_term"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Leaving the copyright term</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Leaving_the_copyright_term-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Public-domain-like_licenses_and_waivers" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Public-domain-like_licenses_and_waivers"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Public-domain-like licenses and waivers</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Public-domain-like_licenses_and_waivers-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Public-domain_software" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Public-domain_software"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Public-domain software</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Public-domain_software-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Public-domain software subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Public-domain_software-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Classical_PD_software_(pre-1988)" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Classical_PD_software_(pre-1988)"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Classical PD software (pre-1988)</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Classical_PD_software_(pre-1988)-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Examples_of_modern_PD_software_(post_1988)" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Examples_of_modern_PD_software_(post_1988)"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Examples of modern PD software (post 1988)</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Examples_of_modern_PD_software_(post_1988)-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown 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class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%88%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BF%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BE%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B0" title="Јавносопственичка програмска опрема – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Јавносопственичка програмска опрема" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicdomainsoftware" title="Publicdomainsoftware – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Publicdomainsoftware" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%91%E3%83%96%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%83%89%E3%83%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BD%E3%83%95%E3%83%88%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A7%E3%82%A2" title="パブリックドメインソフトウェア – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="パブリックドメインソフトウェア" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%B2_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%89%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BC_%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B8" title="Программное обеспечение в общественном достоянии – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Программное обеспечение в общественном достоянии" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain_-ohjelmisto" title="Public domain -ohjelmisto – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Public domain -ohjelmisto" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh badge-Q70893996 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%AC%E6%9C%89%E9%A2%86%E5%9F%9F%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6" title="公有领域软件 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="公有领域软件" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q1037852#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit 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class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Software in the public domain</div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Cc-public_domain_mark_white.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Cc-public_domain_mark_white.svg/150px-Cc-public_domain_mark_white.svg.png" decoding="async" width="150" height="150" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Cc-public_domain_mark_white.svg/225px-Cc-public_domain_mark_white.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Cc-public_domain_mark_white.svg/300px-Cc-public_domain_mark_white.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></a><figcaption>The <a href="/wiki/Creative_Commons" title="Creative Commons">Creative Commons</a> <a href="/wiki/Public_Domain_Mark" title="Public Domain Mark">Public Domain Mark</a> indicates works that are in the public domain</figcaption></figure> <p><b>Public-domain software</b> is <a href="/wiki/Software" title="Software">software</a> that has been placed in the <a href="/wiki/Public_domain" title="Public domain">public domain</a>, in other words, software for which there is absolutely no ownership such as <a href="/wiki/Copyright" title="Copyright">copyright</a>, <a href="/wiki/Trademark" title="Trademark">trademark</a>, or <a href="/wiki/Patent" title="Patent">patent</a>. Software in the public domain can be modified, distributed, or sold even without any <a href="/wiki/Attribution_(copyright)" title="Attribution (copyright)">attribution</a> by anyone; this is unlike the common case of software under <a href="/wiki/Exclusive_right" title="Exclusive right">exclusive copyright</a>, where <a href="/wiki/Software_license" title="Software license">licenses</a> grant limited usage rights. </p><p>Under the <a href="/wiki/Berne_Convention_for_the_Protection_of_Literary_and_Artistic_Works" class="mw-redirect" title="Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works">Berne Convention</a>, which most countries have signed, an author automatically obtains the exclusive copyright to anything they have written, and local law may similarly grant copyright, patent, or trademark rights by default. The Convention also covers programs, and they are therefore automatically subject to copyright. If a program is to be placed in the public domain, the author must explicitly disclaim the copyright and other rights on it in some way, e.g. by a <a href="/wiki/Waiver" title="Waiver">waiver</a> statement.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In some <a href="/wiki/Jurisdiction_(area)" title="Jurisdiction (area)">jurisdictions</a>, some rights (in particular <a href="/wiki/Moral_rights_(copyright_law)" class="mw-redirect" title="Moral rights (copyright law)">moral rights</a>) cannot be disclaimed: for instance, <a href="/wiki/Civil_law_(legal_system)" title="Civil law (legal system)">civil</a> tradition-based <a href="/wiki/German_law" class="mw-redirect" title="German law">German law</a>'s "<i><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urheberrecht" class="extiw" title="de:Urheberrecht">Urheberrecht</a></i>" differs from <a href="/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_world" class="mw-redirect" title="Anglo-Saxon world">Anglo-Saxon</a> <a href="/wiki/Common_law" title="Common law">common law</a> tradition's "copyright" concept.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="Please clarify the preceding statement or statements with a good explanation from a reliable source. (August 2024)">how?</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Software_copyright" title="Software copyright">Software copyright</a> and <a href="/wiki/History_of_free_and_open-source_software" title="History of free and open-source software">History of free and open-source software</a></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Early_academic_public-domain_software_ecosystem">Early academic public-domain software ecosystem</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Early academic public-domain software ecosystem"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>From the software culture of the 1950s to 1990s, public-domain (or PD) software were popular as original academic phenomena. This kind of freely distributed and shared "free software" combined the present-day classes of <a href="/wiki/Freeware" title="Freeware">freeware</a>, <a href="/wiki/Shareware" title="Shareware">shareware</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software" title="Free and open-source software">free and open-source software</a>, and was created in academia, by <a href="/wiki/Hobbyist" class="mw-redirect" title="Hobbyist">hobbyists</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Hacker_culture" title="Hacker culture">hackers</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-infoworld1983_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-infoworld1983-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As software was often written in an interpreted language such as <a href="/wiki/BASIC" title="BASIC">BASIC</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Source_code" title="Source code">source code</a> was needed and therefore distributed to run the software. PD software was also shared and distributed as printed source code (<a href="/wiki/Type-in_program" title="Type-in program">type-in programs</a>) in <a href="/wiki/Computer_magazine" title="Computer magazine">computer magazines</a> (like <i><a href="/wiki/Creative_Computing_(magazine)" title="Creative Computing (magazine)">Creative Computing</a></i>, <i><a href="/wiki/SoftSide" title="SoftSide">SoftSide</a></i>, <i><a href="/wiki/Compute!" title="Compute!">Compute!</a></i>, <i><a href="/wiki/Byte_(magazine)" title="Byte (magazine)">Byte</a></i>, etc.) and books, like the bestseller <i><a href="/wiki/BASIC_Computer_Games" title="BASIC Computer Games">BASIC Computer Games</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Earlier on, <a href="/wiki/Closed-source_software" class="mw-redirect" title="Closed-source software">closed-source software</a> was uncommon until the mid-1970s to 1980s.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-ibm-oco-policy_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ibm-oco-policy-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Before 1974, when the US Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) decided that <i>"computer programs, to the extent that they embody an author's original creation, are proper subject matter of copyright"</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-sail_book_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-sail_book-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> software was not copyrightable and therefore always in the public domain. This legislation, plus court decisions such as <i><a href="/wiki/Apple_v._Franklin" class="mw-redirect" title="Apple v. Franklin">Apple v. Franklin</a></i> in 1983 for <a href="/wiki/Object_code" title="Object code">object code</a>, clarified that the Copyright Act gave computer programs the copyright status of literary works. </p><p>In the 1980s, a common way to share public-domain software<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability"><span title="The material near this tag needs to be fact-checked with the cited source(s). (July 2013)">verification needed</span></a></i>]</sup> was by receiving them through a local user group or a company like PC-SIG of Sunnyvale, California, which maintained a mail-order catalog of more than 300 disks with an average price of US$6.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Public-domain software with source code was also shared on <a href="/wiki/Bulletin_board_system" title="Bulletin board system">BBS</a> networks. Public-domain software was commercialized sometimes by a <a href="/wiki/Donationware" title="Donationware">donationware</a> model, asking the users for a financial donation to be sent by mail.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The public-domain "free sharing" and donationware commercialization models evolved in the following years to the (non-voluntary) shareware model,<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and software free of charge, called freeware.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Additionally, due to other changes in the computer industry, the sharing of source code became less common.<sup id="cite_ref-ibm-oco-policy_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ibm-oco-policy-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>With the <a href="/wiki/Berne_Convention_Implementation_Act_of_1988" title="Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988">Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988</a> (and the earlier <a href="/wiki/Copyright_Act_of_1976" title="Copyright Act of 1976">Copyright Act of 1976</a>), the legal basis for public-domain software changed drastically. Before the act, releasing software without a <a href="/wiki/Copyright_notice" title="Copyright notice">copyright notice</a> was enough to dedicate it to the public domain. With the new act, software was by default copyright-protected and needed an explicit <a href="/wiki/Waiver" title="Waiver">waiver</a> statement or license from the author.<sup id="cite_ref-cornelledu_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-cornelledu-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-copyrightgov_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-copyrightgov-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/Reference_implementation" title="Reference implementation">Reference implementations</a> of algorithms, often <a href="/wiki/Cryptographic_algorithm" class="mw-redirect" title="Cryptographic algorithm">cryptographic</a> meant or applied for <a href="/wiki/Standardization" title="Standardization">standardization</a> are still often released into the public domain; examples include <a href="/wiki/CERN_httpd" title="CERN httpd">CERN httpd</a><sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> in 1993 and <a href="/wiki/Serpent_(cipher)" title="Serpent (cipher)">Serpent</a> cipher in 1999. The <a href="/wiki/Openwall_Project" title="Openwall Project">Openwall Project</a> maintains a list of several algorithms and their source code in the public domain.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Free_and_open-source_software_as_successor">Free and open-source software as successor</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Free and open-source software as successor"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>As a response of the academic software ecosystem to the change in the copyright system in the late 1980s, <a href="/wiki/Permissive_license" class="mw-redirect" title="Permissive license">permissive license</a> texts were developed, like the <a href="/wiki/BSD_license" class="mw-redirect" title="BSD license">BSD license</a> and its derivatives. Permissive-licensed software, which is a kind of free and open-source software, shares most characteristics of earlier public-domain software but stands on the legal basis of copyright law. </p><p>In the 1980s <a href="/wiki/Richard_Stallman" title="Richard Stallman">Richard Stallman</a>, who for long worked in an academic environment of "public-domain"-like software sharing, noticed the emergence of <a href="/wiki/Proprietary_software" title="Proprietary software">proprietary software</a> and the decline of the public-domain software ecosystem. In an effort to preserve this ecosystem he created a software license, the <a href="/wiki/GPL" class="mw-redirect" title="GPL">GPL</a>, which encodes the public-domain rights and enforces them irrevocably on software. Paradoxically, his <a href="/wiki/Copyleft" title="Copyleft">copyleft</a> approach relies on the enforceability of the copyright to be effective. Copyleft free software, therefore, shares many properties with public-domain software, but does not allow relicensing or sublicensing. Unlike real public-domain software or permissive-licensed software, Stallman's copyleft license tries to enforce the free shareability of software also for the future by not allowing license changes. </p><p>To refer to free software (which is under a <a href="/wiki/Free_software_license" class="mw-redirect" title="Free software license">free software license</a>) or to software distributed and usable free of charge (freeware) as "public-domain" is therefore incorrect. While public domain gives up the author's exclusive rights (e.g. copyright), in free software the author's copyright is still retained and used, for instance, to enforce copyleft or to hand out permissive-licensed software. Licensed software is in general <i>not</i> in the public domain.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another distinct difference is that an <a href="/wiki/Executable_program" class="mw-redirect" title="Executable program">executable program</a> may be in the public domain even if its source code is not made available (making the program not feasibly modifiable), while free software always has the source code available. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Post-copyright_public_domain">Post-copyright public domain</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Post-copyright public domain"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>With the 2000s and the emergence of <a href="/wiki/Peer-to-peer_sharing" class="mw-redirect" title="Peer-to-peer sharing">peer-to-peer sharing</a> networks and sharing in web development, a new <a href="/wiki/Anti-copyright" class="mw-redirect" title="Anti-copyright">copyright-critical</a> generation of developers made the "<a href="/wiki/License-free_software" title="License-free software">license-free</a>" public-domain software model visible again, also criticizing the <a href="/wiki/FOSS" class="mw-redirect" title="FOSS">FOSS</a> license ecosystem ("<a href="/wiki/Post_Open_Source" class="mw-redirect" title="Post Open Source">Post Open Source</a>") as stabilizing part of the copyright system.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> New non-FOSS licenses and waiver texts were developed, notably the <a href="/wiki/Creative_Commons" title="Creative Commons">Creative Commons</a> "<a href="/wiki/CC0" class="mw-redirect" title="CC0">CC0</a>" (2009) and the "<a href="/wiki/Unlicense" title="Unlicense">Unlicense</a>" (2010), and there was a noticeable rise in the popularity of permissive software licenses. Also, the growing problem of <a href="/wiki/Orphaned_technology" title="Orphaned technology">orphaned software</a> and <a href="/wiki/Digital_obsolescence" title="Digital obsolescence">digital obsolescence</a> of software raised awareness of the relevance of again passing software into the public domain for better <a href="/wiki/Digital_preservation" title="Digital preservation">preservation</a> of the digital heritage, unrestricted by copyright and <a href="/wiki/Digital_rights_management" title="Digital rights management">digital rights management</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-walker1_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-walker1-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-walker2_25-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-walker2-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-houstonpress_26-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-houstonpress-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Around 2004, there was debate on whether public-domain software could be considered part of the FOSS ecosystem, as argued by lawyer <a href="/wiki/Lawrence_Rosen_(attorney)" title="Lawrence Rosen (attorney)">Lawrence Rosen</a> in the essay "Why the public domain isn't a license",<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> a position that faced opposition by <a href="/wiki/Daniel_J._Bernstein" title="Daniel J. Bernstein">Daniel J. Bernstein</a> and others.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2012, the status was finally resolved when Rosen changed his mind and accepted the CC0 as an open-source license, while admitting that, contrary to previous claims, copyright could be waived, as backed by a <a href="/wiki/Ninth_Circuit" class="mw-redirect" title="Ninth Circuit">Ninth Circuit</a> decision.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Passing_of_software_into_the_public_domain">Passing of software into the public domain</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Passing of software into the public domain"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Release_without_copyright_notice">Release without copyright notice</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Release without copyright notice"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Before the <a href="/wiki/Berne_Convention_for_the_Protection_of_Literary_and_Artistic_Works" class="mw-redirect" title="Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works">Berne Convention</a> Implementation Act of 1988 (and the earlier Copyright Act of 1976, which went into effect in 1978) works could be easily given into the public domain by releasing them without an explicit copyright notice and no <a href="/wiki/Copyright_registration" title="Copyright registration">copyright registration</a>. After 1988, all works were by default copyright protected and needed to be actively given into the public domain by a waiver statement.<sup id="cite_ref-cornelledu_14-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-cornelledu-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-copyrightgov_15-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-copyrightgov-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Leaving_the_copyright_term">Leaving the copyright term</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Leaving the copyright term"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Copyrighted works, like software, are meant to pass into the public domain after the <a href="/wiki/Copyright_term" title="Copyright term">copyright term</a>, losing their copyright <a href="/wiki/Exclusive_right" title="Exclusive right">privilege</a>. Due to the decades-long copyright protection granted by the Berne Convention, no software has ever passed into the public domain by leaving copyright terms. The question of how quickly works should pass into the public domain has been a matter of scientific<sup id="cite_ref-HoEoC_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-HoEoC-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and public debates, as well as for software like <a href="/wiki/Video_game" title="Video game">video games</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-walker1_24-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-walker1-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-walker2_25-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-walker2-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-houstonpress_26-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-houstonpress-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Public-domain-like_licenses_and_waivers">Public-domain-like licenses and waivers</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Public-domain-like licenses and waivers"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Public_domain_equivalent_license" class="mw-redirect" title="Public domain equivalent license">Public domain equivalent license</a></div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:WTFPL_logo.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/WTFPL_logo.svg/140px-WTFPL_logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="140" height="102" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/WTFPL_logo.svg/210px-WTFPL_logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/WTFPL_logo.svg/280px-WTFPL_logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="580" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/WTFPL" title="WTFPL">WTFPL</a> license logo, a public-domain-like license</figcaption></figure> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Cc-zero.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Cc-zero.svg/140px-Cc-zero.svg.png" decoding="async" width="140" height="140" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Cc-zero.svg/210px-Cc-zero.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Cc-zero.svg/280px-Cc-zero.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/CC0" class="mw-redirect" title="CC0">CC0</a> license logo, a copyright <a href="/wiki/Waiver" title="Waiver">waiver</a>, and public-domain-like license<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></figcaption></figure> <p>While real public domain makes software licenses unnecessary, as no owner/author is required to grant permission ("<a href="/wiki/Permission_culture" title="Permission culture">Permission culture</a>"), there are licenses that grant public-domain-like rights. There is no universally agreed-upon license, but there are multiple licenses that aim to release source code into the public domain. </p><p>In 2000 the <a href="/wiki/WTFPL" title="WTFPL">WTFPL</a> was released as a public-domain-like license/waiver/<a href="/wiki/Anti-copyright_notice" title="Anti-copyright notice">anti-copyright notice</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2009 the Creative Commons released the CC0, which was created for <a href="/wiki/License_compatibility" title="License compatibility">compatibility</a> with various law domains (e.g. <a href="/wiki/Civil_law_(legal_system)" title="Civil law (legal system)">civil law</a> of <a href="/wiki/Continental_Europe" title="Continental Europe">continental Europe</a>) where <i>dedicating to public domain</i> is problematic. This is achieved by a public domain waiver statement and a fallback all-permissive license, in case the waiver is not possible.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-CC0_36-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-CC0-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <i>Unlicense</i>, published around 2010, has a focus on an anti-copyright message. The <i>Unlicense</i> offers a public domain waiver text with a fallback public-domain-like license inspired by permissive licenses but without attribution clause.<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2015, <a href="/wiki/GitHub" title="GitHub">GitHub</a> reported that of the approximately 5.1 million licensed projects it hosted, almost 2% used the Unlicense.<sup id="cite_ref-githubunlicense_39-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-githubunlicense-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another popular option is the <a href="/wiki/BSD_licenses#0-clause_license_("Zero_Clause_BSD")" title="BSD licenses">Zero Clause BSD license</a>, released in 2006 and aimed at software.<sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>As result, such licensed public-domain software has all the <a href="/wiki/Four_Freedoms_(free_software)" class="mw-redirect" title="Four Freedoms (free software)">four freedoms</a> but is not hampered by the complexities of attribution (restriction of permissive licensed software) or license compatibility (issue with copyleft licensed software). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Public-domain_software">Public-domain software</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Public-domain software"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>See also <a href="/wiki/Category:Public-domain_software_with_source_code" title="Category:Public-domain software with source code">Category:Public-domain software with source code</a>, <a href="/wiki/Category:Public-domain_software" title="Category:Public-domain software">Category:Public-domain software</a> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Classical_PD_software_(pre-1988)"><span id="Classical_PD_software_.28pre-1988.29"></span>Classical PD software (pre-1988)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Classical PD software (pre-1988)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Public domain software in the early computer age was, for instance, shared as type-in programs in computer magazines and books like <i>BASIC Computer Games</i>. Explicit PD waiver statements or license files were at that time unusual. Publicly available software without a copyright notice was assumed to be, and shared as, public-domain software. </p><p>Notable general PD software from that time include: </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/ELIZA" title="ELIZA">ELIZA</a> (1966)<sup id="cite_ref-turing_41-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-turing-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/SPICE" title="SPICE">SPICE</a> (1973)<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Basic_Linear_Algebra_Subprograms" title="Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms">BLAS</a> (1979)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/FFTPACK" title="FFTPACK">FFTPACK</a> (1985)</li></ul> <p>Video games are among the earliest examples of shared PD software, which are still notable today: </p> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Spacewar!" title="Spacewar!">Spacewar!</a></i> (1962)<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Hamurabi_(video_game)" title="Hamurabi (video game)">Hamurabi</a></i> (1969)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Star_Trek_(text_game)" class="mw-redirect" title="Star Trek (text game)">Star Trek</a></i> (1971)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Hunt_the_Wumpus" title="Hunt the Wumpus">Hunt the Wumpus</a></i> (1972)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Maze_War" class="mw-redirect" title="Maze War">Maze War</a></i> (1974)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Colossal_Cave_Adventure" title="Colossal Cave Adventure">Colossal Cave Adventure</a></i> (1976)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Android_Nim" title="Android Nim">Android Nim</a></i> (1978)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Rogue_(video_game)" title="Rogue (video game)">Rogue</a></i> (1980)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Ballerburg" title="Ballerburg">Ballerburg</a></i> (1987)</li></ul> <p>Many PD software authors kept the practices of public-domain release without having a waiver text, not knowing or caring for the changed copyright law, thus creating a legal problem. On the other hand, magazines started in the mid-1980s to claim copyright even for type-in programs that were previously seen as PD.<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Only slowly did PD software authors start to include explicit relinquishment or license statement texts. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Examples_of_modern_PD_software_(post_1988)"><span id="Examples_of_modern_PD_software_.28post_1988.29"></span>Examples of modern PD software (post 1988)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Examples of modern PD software (post 1988)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>These examples of modern PD software (after the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988) are either under proper public domain (e.g. <a href="/wiki/Copyright_status_of_work_by_the_U.S._government" class="mw-redirect" title="Copyright status of work by the U.S. government">created by a US governmental organization</a>), under a proper public domain like license (for instance CC0), or accompanied by a clear waiver statement from the author. Whilst not as widespread as in the pre-2000s, PD software still exists nowadays. For example, <a href="/wiki/SourceForge" title="SourceForge">SourceForge</a> listed 334 hosted PD projects in 2016,<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and GitHub 102,000 under the Unlicense alone in 2015.<sup id="cite_ref-githubunlicense_39-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-githubunlicense-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 2016, an analysis of the <a href="/wiki/Fedora_Project" title="Fedora Project">Fedora Project</a>'s packages revealed PD was the seventh most popular "license".<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The award-winning <a href="/wiki/Video_game_developer" title="Video game developer">video game developer</a> <a href="/wiki/Jason_Rohrer" title="Jason Rohrer">Jason Rohrer</a> releases his works into the PD, as do several <a href="/wiki/Cryptographer" class="mw-redirect" title="Cryptographer">cryptographers</a>, such as Daniel J. Bernstein, <a href="/wiki/Bruce_Schneier" title="Bruce Schneier">Bruce Schneier</a> and <a href="/wiki/Douglas_Crockford" title="Douglas Crockford">Douglas Crockford</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> with reference implementations of cryptographic algorithms. </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/BLAST_(biotechnology)" title="BLAST (biotechnology)">BLAST</a> (1990)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/KornShell" title="KornShell">pdksh</a> (1993)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/CERN_httpd" title="CERN httpd">CERN's httpd</a> (1993)<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ImageJ" title="ImageJ">ImageJ</a> (1997)<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Serpent_(cipher)" title="Serpent (cipher)">Serpent (cipher)</a> (1999)<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/SQLite" title="SQLite">SQLite</a> (2000)<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/ReStructuredText" title="ReStructuredText">reStructuredText</a> (2002)<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/I2P" title="I2P">I2P</a> (2003)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Youtube-dl" title="Youtube-dl">youtube-dl</a> (2006)<sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/7-Zip" title="7-Zip">7-Zip</a>'s <a href="/wiki/LZMA" class="mw-redirect" title="LZMA">LZMA</a> <a href="/wiki/Software_development_kit" title="Software development kit">SDK</a> (2008)<sup id="cite_ref-LZMA_SDK_56-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-LZMA_SDK-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Diamond_Trust_of_London" title="Diamond Trust of London">Diamond Trust of London</a></i> (2012)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Glitch_(video_game)" title="Glitch (video game)">Glitch</a></i> (2013)<sup id="cite_ref-tinyspeckcc0_57-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-tinyspeckcc0-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-pcworld_58-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-pcworld-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Castle_Doctrine" title="The Castle Doctrine">The Castle Doctrine</a></i> (2014)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/SHA-3" title="SHA-3">SHA-3</a> (2015)<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Duelyst" title="Duelyst">Duelyst</a></i> (2016)<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/One_Hour_One_Life" title="One Hour One Life">One Hour One Life</a></i> (2018)<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Public_domain" title="Public domain">Public domain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Public_copyright_license" title="Public copyright license">Public copyright license</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/License-free_software" title="License-free software">License-free software</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software" title="Free and open-source software">Free and open-source software</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Abandonware" title="Abandonware">Abandonware</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=PA-Rhb_QSAwC&dq=tex+in+public+domain+knuth&pg=PA227">Open Source: Technology and Policy</a> by Fadi P. Deek, James A. M. McHugh "Public domain", page 227 (2008).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-infoworld1983-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-infoworld1983_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFShea1983" class="citation web cs1">Shea, Tom (1983-06-23). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=yy8EAAAAMBAJ&q=us+government+public+domain+software&pg=PA31">"Free software - Free software is a junkyard of software spare parts"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/InfoWorld" title="InfoWorld">InfoWorld</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-02-10</span></span>. <q>In contrast to commercial software is a large and growing body of free software that exists in the public domain. Public-domain software is written by microcomputer hobbyists (also known as "hackers") many of whom are professional programmers in their work life.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=InfoWorld&rft.atitle=Free+software+-+Free+software+is+a+junkyard+of+software+spare+parts&rft.date=1983-06-23&rft.aulast=Shea&rft.aufirst=Tom&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dyy8EAAAAMBAJ%26q%3Dus%2Bgovernment%2Bpublic%2Bdomain%2Bsoftware%26pg%3DPA31&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAhl" class="citation web cs1">Ahl, David. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Ahl/DHAbio.htm">"David H. Ahl biography from Who's Who in America"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-11-23</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=David+H.+Ahl+biography+from+Who%27s+Who+in+America&rft.aulast=Ahl&rft.aufirst=David&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.swapmeetdave.com%2FAhl%2FDHAbio.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=hSBrPSYgjI4C&dq=ibm+object+code+only+model+source+code&pg=PP55">Object code only: is IBM playing fair?</a> <i>IBM's OCO policy protects its own assets but may threaten customers investment</i> on <a href="/wiki/Computerworld" title="Computerworld">Computerworld</a> - 8 Febr. 1988</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wgmey4obagC&dq=ibm+object+code+only+model+source+code&pg=PA8">Firm sidestep IBM policy by banning software changes</a> on <a href="/wiki/Computerworld" title="Computerworld">Computerworld</a> (18 March 1985)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-ibm-oco-policy-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-ibm-oco-policy_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-ibm-oco-policy_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGallant1985" class="citation web cs1">Gallant, John (1985-03-18). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wgmey4obagC&q=1983object-only+model+IBM&pg=PA8">"IBM policy draws fire – Users say source code rules hamper change"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Computerworld" title="Computerworld">Computerworld</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-12-27</span></span>. <q>While IBM's policy of withholding source code for selected software products has already marked its second anniversary, users are only now beginning to cope with the impact of that decision. But whether or not the advent of object-code-only products has affected their day-to-day DP operations, some users remain angry about IBM's decision. Announced in February 1983, IBM's object-code-only policy has been applied to a growing list of Big Blue system software products</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Computerworld&rft.atitle=IBM+policy+draws+fire+%E2%80%93+Users+say+source+code+rules+hamper+change&rft.date=1985-03-18&rft.aulast=Gallant&rft.aufirst=John&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D4Wgmey4obagC%26q%3D1983object-only%2Bmodel%2BIBM%26pg%3DPA8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1344&context=ggulrev">Apple Computer, Inc. v. Franklin Computer Corporation Puts the Byte Back into Copyright Protection for Computer Programs</a> in Golden Gate University Law Review Volume 14, Issue 2, Article 3 by Jan L. Nussbaum (January 1984)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-sail_book-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-sail_book_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lemley, Menell, Merges and Samuelson. <i>Software and Internet Law</i>, p. 34.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKristina_B._Sullivan1986" class="citation news cs1">Kristina B. Sullivan (1986-01-14). "Hackers Create Public-Domain Software for the Sheer Joy of It". <i>PC Week</i>. Vol. 3, no. 2. pp. 121–122.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=PC+Week&rft.atitle=Hackers+Create+Public-Domain+Software+for+the+Sheer+Joy+of+It.&rft.volume=3&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=121-122&rft.date=1986-01-14&rft.au=Kristina+B.+Sullivan&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.eckhardkruse.net/atari_st/baller.html">April 1987: Ballerburg - Zwei Spieler, zwei Burgen und ein Berg dazwischen...</a> on eckhardkruse.net: "Ich habe das Programm als Public Domain veröffentlicht (die Unterscheidung in Freeware, Shareware usw. gab es damals nicht), mit der Bitte um eine 20 DM Spende. Dafür gab es dann die erweitere Version und den Quellcode." (in German).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/wallace_bob/wallace_bob_timeline1.shtml">"Bob Wallace Timeline"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Erowid" title="Erowid">Erowid</a>. Jan 12, 2004<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 7,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Bob+Wallace+Timeline&rft.pub=Erowid&rft.date=2004-01-12&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.erowid.org%2Fculture%2Fcharacters%2Fwallace_bob%2Fwallace_bob_timeline1.shtml&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ddj.com/184403976?pgno=2">Article about Jim "Button" Knopf</a>, from <i><a href="/wiki/Dr._Dobb%27s_Journal" title="Dr. Dobb's Journal">Dr. Dobb's Journal</a></i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://asp-software.org/www/history/the-history-of-shareware-psl/">the-history-of-shareware-psl</a> on asp-software.org.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-cornelledu-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-cornelledu_14-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-cornelledu_14-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm">publicdomain</a> on <a href="/wiki/Cornell.edu" class="mw-redirect" title="Cornell.edu">cornell.edu</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-copyrightgov-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-copyrightgov_15-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-copyrightgov_15-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ03.pdf">Copyright Notice</a></i>, U.S. Copyright Office Circular 3, 2008.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140817185526/http://home.web.cern.ch/topics/birth-web/licensing-web">The birth of the web Licensing the web</a> on cern.ch (2014).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://openwall.info/wiki/people/solar/software/public-domain-source-code">Source code snippets and frameworks placed in the public domain</a> on openwall.info.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFShankland2008" class="citation web cs1">Shankland, Stephen (February 28, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cnet.com/news/is-public-domain-software-open-source/">"Is public domain software open-source?"</a>. cnet.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-02-03</span></span>. <q>There's no doubt that open-source software and that in the public domain are similar. But even experts differ about just how closely linked they are.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Is+public+domain+software+open-source%3F&rft.pub=cnet.com&rft.date=2008-02-28&rft.aulast=Shankland&rft.aufirst=Stephen&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fnews%2Fis-public-domain-software-open-source%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://questioncopyright.org/promise">The Surprising History of Copyright and The Promise of a Post-Copyright World</a> by <a href="/wiki/Karl_Fogel_(author)" class="mw-redirect" title="Karl Fogel (author)">Karl Fogel</a> (2006).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://opensource.com/law/13/2/post-open-source-software-licensing">Younger developers reject licensing, risk chance for reform</a> on opensource.com by <a href="/wiki/Luis_Villa" title="Luis Villa">Luis Villa</a> (on 12 Feb 2013).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://lu.is/blog/2013/01/27/taking-post-open-source-seriously-as-a-statement-about-copyright-law/">Pushing back against licensing and the permission culture</a> <a href="/wiki/Luis_Villa" title="Luis Villa">Luis Villa</a> (January 28, 2013).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://opensource.com/law/13/8/github-poss-licensing">Post open source software, licensing and GitHub</a> on opensource.com by Richard Fontana (on 13 Aug 2013).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCharlesworth2002" class="citation web cs1">Charlesworth, Andrew (5 November 2002). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110206080418/http://www2.si.umich.edu/CAMILEON/reports/IPRreport.doc">"The CAMiLEON Project: Legal issues arising from the work aiming to preserve elements of the interactive multimedia work entitled "The BBC Domesday Project"<span class="cs1-kern-right"></span>"</a>. Kingston upon Hull: Information Law and Technology Unit, University of Hull. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www2.si.umich.edu/CAMILEON/reports/IPRreport.doc">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(Microsoft Word)</span> on 6 February 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">23 March</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+CAMiLEON+Project%3A+Legal+issues+arising+from+the+work+aiming+to+preserve+elements+of+the+interactive+multimedia+work+entitled+%22The+BBC+Domesday+Project%22.&rft.place=Kingston+upon+Hull&rft.pub=Information+Law+and+Technology+Unit%2C+University+of+Hull&rft.date=2002-11-05&rft.aulast=Charlesworth&rft.aufirst=Andrew&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.si.umich.edu%2FCAMILEON%2Freports%2FIPRreport.doc&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-walker1-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-walker1_24-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-walker1_24-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWalker2014" class="citation web cs1">Walker, John (2014-01-29). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/29/gogs-time-machine-sale-lets-you-control-time-itself/">"GOG's Time Machine Sale Lets You CONTROL TIME ITSELF"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Rock,_Paper,_Shotgun" class="mw-redirect" title="Rock, Paper, Shotgun">Rock, Paper, Shotgun</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-01-30</span></span>. <q>As someone who desperately pines for the PD model that drove creativity before the copyright industry malevolently took over the planet, it saddens my heart that a game two decades old isn't released into the world.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=GOG%27s+Time+Machine+Sale+Lets+You+CONTROL+TIME+ITSELF&rft.pub=Rock%2C+Paper%2C+Shotgun&rft.date=2014-01-29&rft.aulast=Walker&rft.aufirst=John&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rockpapershotgun.com%2F2014%2F01%2F29%2Fgogs-time-machine-sale-lets-you-control-time-itself%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-walker2-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-walker2_25-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-walker2_25-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWalker2014" class="citation web cs1">Walker, John (2014-02-03). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/02/03/editorial-why-games-should-enter-the-public-domain/">"Editorial: Why Games Should Enter The Public Domain"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Rock,_Paper,_Shotgun" class="mw-redirect" title="Rock, Paper, Shotgun">Rock, Paper, Shotgun</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-01-30</span></span>. <q>games more than a couple of decades old aren't entering the public domain. Twenty years was a fairly arbitrary number, one that seems to make sense in the context of games' lives, but it could be twenty-five, thirty.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Editorial%3A+Why+Games+Should+Enter+The+Public+Domain&rft.pub=Rock%2C+Paper%2C+Shotgun&rft.date=2014-02-03&rft.aulast=Walker&rft.aufirst=John&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rockpapershotgun.com%2F2014%2F02%2F03%2Feditorial-why-games-should-enter-the-public-domain%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-houstonpress-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-houstonpress_26-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-houstonpress_26-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRouner2015" class="citation web cs1">Rouner, Jef (April 28, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/us-copyright-office-to-explore-making-some-video-games-public-domain-7396031">"U.S. Copyright Office to Explore Making Some Video Games Public Domain"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Houston_Press" title="Houston Press">Houston Press</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-02-03</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=U.S.+Copyright+Office+to+Explore+Making+Some+Video+Games+Public+Domain&rft.pub=Houston+Press&rft.date=2015-04-28&rft.aulast=Rouner&rft.aufirst=Jef&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.houstonpress.com%2Farts%2Fus-copyright-office-to-explore-making-some-video-games-public-domain-7396031&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLawrence_Rosen2004" class="citation web cs1"><a href="/wiki/Lawrence_Rosen_(attorney)" title="Lawrence Rosen (attorney)">Lawrence Rosen</a> (2004-05-25). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rosenlaw.com/lj16.htm">"Why the public domain isn't a license"</a>. rosenlaw.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-02-22</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Why+the+public+domain+isn%27t+a+license&rft.pub=rosenlaw.com&rft.date=2004-05-25&rft.au=Lawrence+Rosen&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rosenlaw.com%2Flj16.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://cr.yp.to/publicdomain.html">Placing documents into the public domain</a> by <a href="/wiki/Daniel_J._Bernstein" title="Daniel J. Bernstein">Daniel J. Bernstein</a> on cr.yp.to: "Most rights can be voluntarily abandoned ('waived') by the owner of the rights. Legislators can go to extra effort to create rights that can't be abandoned, but usually they don't do this. In particular, you can voluntarily abandon your United States copyrights: 'It is well settled that rights gained under the Copyright Act may be abandoned. But abandonment of a right must be manifested by some overt act indicating an intention to abandon that right. See Hampton v. Paramount Pictures Corp., 279 F.2d 100, 104 (9th Cir. 1960).' " (2004).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLawrence_Rosen2012" class="citation web cs1"><a href="/wiki/Lawrence_Rosen_(attorney)" title="Lawrence Rosen (attorney)">Lawrence Rosen</a> (2012-03-08). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160312093735/https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review/2012-March/001679.html">"(License-review) (License-discuss) CC0 incompliant with OSD on patents, (was: MXM compared to CC0)"</a>. opensource.org. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review/2012-March/001679.html">the original</a> on 2016-03-12<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-02-22</span></span>. <q>The case you referenced in your email, Hampton v. Paramount Pictures, 279 F.2d 100 (9th Cir. Cal. 1960), stands for the proposition that, at least in the Ninth Circuit, a person can indeed abandon his copyrights (counter to what I wrote in my article) – but it takes the equivalent of a manifest license to do so. :-) [...] For the record, I have already voted +1 to approve the CC0 public domain dedication and fallback license as OSD compliant. I admit that I have argued for years against the "public domain" as an open source license, but in retrospect, considering the minimal risk to developers and users relying on such software and the evident popularity of that "license", I changed my mind. One can't stand in the way of a fire hose of free public domain software, even if it doesn't come with a better FOSS license that I trust more.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=%28License-review%29+%28License-discuss%29+CC0+incompliant+with+OSD+on+patents%2C+%28was%3A+MXM+compared+to+CC0%29&rft.pub=opensource.org&rft.date=2012-03-08&rft.au=Lawrence+Rosen&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Flists.opensource.org%2Fpipermail%2Flicense-review%2F2012-March%2F001679.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-HoEoC-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-HoEoC_30-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWatt2014" class="citation book cs1">Watt, Richard (September 26, 2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=RgKZBAAAQBAJ&q=rufus+pollock+15+years&pg=PA10"><i>Handbook on the Economics of Copyright: A Guide for Students and Teachers</i></a>. Edward Elgar Publishing. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781849808538" title="Special:BookSources/9781849808538"><bdi>9781849808538</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-01-11</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Handbook+on+the+Economics+of+Copyright%3A+A+Guide+for+Students+and+Teachers&rft.pub=Edward+Elgar+Publishing&rft.date=2014-09-26&rft.isbn=9781849808538&rft.aulast=Watt&rft.aufirst=Richard&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DRgKZBAAAQBAJ%26q%3Drufus%2Bpollock%2B15%2Byears%26pg%3DPA10&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-31">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPollock2007" class="citation web cs1"><a href="/wiki/Rufus_Pollock" title="Rufus Pollock">Pollock, Rufus</a> (2007-10-01). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130221124708/http://rufuspollock.org/economics/papers/optimal_copyright_over_time.pdf">"OPTIMAL COPYRIGHT OVER TIME: TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND THE STOCK OF WORKS"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <a href="/wiki/University_of_Cambridge" title="University of Cambridge">University of Cambridge</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://rufuspollock.org/economics/papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 2013-02-21<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-01-11</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=OPTIMAL+COPYRIGHT+OVER+TIME%3A+TECHNOLOGICAL+CHANGE+AND+THE+STOCK+OF+WORKS&rft.pub=University+of+Cambridge&rft.date=2007-10-01&rft.aulast=Pollock&rft.aufirst=Rufus&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Frufuspollock.org%2Feconomics%2Fpapers%2Foptimal_copyright_term.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPollock2009" class="citation web cs1"><a href="/wiki/Rufus_Pollock" title="Rufus Pollock">Pollock, Rufus</a> (2009-06-15). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130112152530/http://rufuspollock.org/economics/papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf">"FOREVER MINUS A DAY? CALCULATING OPTIMAL COPYRIGHT TERM"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <a href="/wiki/University_of_Cambridge" title="University of Cambridge">University of Cambridge</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://rufuspollock.org/economics/papers/optimal_copyright_term.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 2013-01-12<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-01-11</span></span>. <q>The optimal term of copyright has been a matter for extensive debate over the last decade.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=FOREVER+MINUS+A+DAY%3F+CALCULATING+OPTIMAL+COPYRIGHT+TERM&rft.pub=University+of+Cambridge&rft.date=2009-06-15&rft.aulast=Pollock&rft.aufirst=Rufus&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Frufuspollock.org%2Feconomics%2Fpapers%2Foptimal_copyright_term.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/about/downloads">"Downloads"</a>. Creative Commons. 2015-12-16<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-12-24</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Downloads&rft.pub=Creative+Commons&rft.date=2015-12-16&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fcreativecommons.org%2Fabout%2Fdownloads&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130602181949/http://anonscm.debian.org/viewvc/pkg-wmaker/trunk/COPYING.WTFPL?revision=2&view=markup">Version 1.0 license</a> on anonscm.debian.org.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/weblog/2009/03/11/13304">"11/17: Lulan Artisans Textile Competition"</a>. 18 June 2009.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=11%2F17%3A+Lulan+Artisans+Textile+Competition&rft.date=2009-06-18&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fcreativecommons.org%2Fweblog%2F2009%2F03%2F11%2F13304&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-CC0-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-CC0_36-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://rd-alliance.org/sites/default/files/cc0-analysis-kreuzer.pdf">Validity of the Creative Commons Zero 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication and its usability for bibliographic metadata from the perspective of German Copyright Law</a> by Till Kreutzer, attorney-at-law in <a href="/wiki/Berlin,_Germany" class="mw-redirect" title="Berlin, Germany">Berlin, Germany</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ostatic.com/blog/the-unlicense-a-license-for-no-license">The unlicense a license for no license</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170122063132/http://ostatic.com/blog/the-unlicense-a-license-for-no-license">Archived</a> 2017-01-22 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> on ostatic.com by Joe Brockmeier (2010)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-38">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://unlicense.org">The Unlicense</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180708180735/http://unlicense.org/">Archived</a> 2018-07-08 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a> on unlicense.org.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-githubunlicense-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-githubunlicense_39-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-githubunlicense_39-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBalter2015" class="citation web cs1">Balter, Ben (2015-03-09). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://github.com/blog/1964-license-usage-on-github-com">"Open source license usage on GitHub.com"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Github.com" class="mw-redirect" title="Github.com">github.com</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-11-21</span></span>. <q>1 MIT 44.69%, 2 Other 15.68%, 3 GPLv2 12.96%, 4 Apache 11.19%, 5 GPLv3 8.88%, 6 BSD 3-clause 4.53%, 7 Unlicense 1.87%, 8 BSD 2-clause 1.70%, 9 LGPLv3 1.30%, 10 AGPLv3 1.05% (30 mill * 2% * 17% = 102k)</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Open+source+license+usage+on+GitHub.com&rft.pub=github.com&rft.date=2015-03-09&rft.aulast=Balter&rft.aufirst=Ben&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fblog%2F1964-license-usage-on-github-com&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-40">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://tldrlegal.com/license/bsd-0-clause-license">"BSD 0-Clause License (0BSD) Explained in Plain English"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">25 February</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=BSD+0-Clause+License+%280BSD%29+Explained+in+Plain+English&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Ftldrlegal.com%2Flicense%2Fbsd-0-clause-license&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-turing-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-turing_41-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/09/alan-turing-at-100/">"Alan Turing at 100"</a>. <i>Harvard Gazette</i>. 13 September 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-02-22</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Harvard+Gazette&rft.atitle=Alan+Turing+at+100&rft.date=2012-09-13&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.harvard.edu%2Fgazette%2Fstory%2F2012%2F09%2Falan-turing-at-100%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://elizagen.org/index.html">The Genealogy of Eliza</a> by Jeff Shrager</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-43">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/reference/chpt-7/history-of-spice/">history-of-spice</a> on allaboutcircuits.com <i>"The origin of SPICE traces back to another circuit simulation program called CANCER. Developed by professor Ronald Rohrer of U.C. Berkeley along with some of his students in the late 1960s, CANCER continued to be improved through the early 1970s. When Rohrer left Berkeley, CANCER was re-written and re-named to SPICE, released as version 1 to the public domain in May of 1972. Version 2 of SPICE was released in 1975 (version 2g6—the version used in this book—is a minor revision of this 1975 release). Instrumental in the decision to release SPICE as a public-domain computer program was professor Donald Pederson of Berkeley, who believed that all significant technical progress happens when information is freely shared. I for one thank him for his vision."</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-44">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.oilzine.com/features/features_details.asp?ID=49">Classic Games</a> on oilzine.com <i>"Space War (Asteroids) - Steve Russell – MIT - Tech Model Railroad Club (TMRC) - PDP-1 In 1961, the game that would eventually become Asteroids started life, humbly, at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). [...] It was also open source, so the code was public domain, available for anybody to utilize and improve upon."</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-45">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.commodore.ca/gallery/magazines/gazette/Compute-Gazette-Issue-11-01.pdf">Compute-Gazette-Issue-11-01.pdf</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-46">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.weihenstephan.org/~michaste/pagetable/transactor/Transactor_v8i3.pdf">Transactor_v8i3.pdf</a>: "though our disk labels show a copyright notice, up until this issue we stated right on our policies page (page 2) that our programs are 'public domain; free to copy, not to sell'. This notice goes back about 4 years – a popular phrase originally designed to prevent one's program from being 'acquired' by someone in the software business".</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-47">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://sourceforge.net/directory/license%3Apublicdomain/">334 PD projects</a> on sourceforge.net (February 2016)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-48">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAnwesha_Das2016" class="citation web cs1">Anwesha Das (22 June 2016). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://anweshadas.in/software-licenses-in-fedora-ecosystem/">"Software Licenses in Fedora Ecosystem"</a>. anweshadas.in<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-06-27</span></span>. <q>In the above bar-chart I have counted GPL and its different versions as one family, and I did the same with LGPL too. From this diagram it is very much clear that the MIT License is the most used license, with a total number of use case of 2706. Therefore comes GPL (i.e GNU General Public License) and its different versions, BSD, LGPL (i.e. GNU Lesser General Public License) and its different versions, ASL (i.e Apache Software License) family, MPL (i.e. Mozilla Public License). Apart from these licenses there are projects who has submitted themselves into Public Domain and that number is 137.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Software+Licenses+in+Fedora+Ecosystem&rft.pub=anweshadas.in&rft.date=2016-06-22&rft.au=Anwesha+Das&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fanweshadas.in%2Fsoftware-licenses-in-fedora-ecosystem%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-49"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-49">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://github.com/douglascrockford">douglascrockford</a> on GitHub</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-50">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://1997.webhistory.org/www.lists/www-talk.1993q2/0259.html">PUBLIC DOMAIN CERN WWW SOFTWARE</a> (1993)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-51">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/disclaimer.html">disclaimer</a> on rsb.info.nih.gov</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-52">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/serpent.html">SERPENT - A Candidate Block Cipher for the Advanced Encryption Standard</a> <i>"Serpent is now completely in the public domain, and we impose no restrictions on its use. This was announced on the 21st August at the First AES Candidate Conference."</i> (1999)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-53">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html">copyright</a> on sqlite.org</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-54"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-54">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/dev/policies.html#copyrights-and-licensing">copyrights-and-licensing</a> on docutils.sourceforge.net</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-55"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-55">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://github.com/rg3/youtube-dl/blob/master/LICENSE">"youtube-dl GitHub page"</a>. <i>GitHub</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2 October</span> 2016</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=GitHub&rft.atitle=youtube-dl+GitHub+page&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Frg3%2Fyoutube-dl%2Fblob%2Fmaster%2FLICENSE&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-LZMA_SDK-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-LZMA_SDK_56-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFIgor_Pavlov2008" class="citation web cs1"><a href="/wiki/Igor_Pavlov_(programmer)" class="mw-redirect" title="Igor Pavlov (programmer)">Igor Pavlov</a> (2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://7-zip.org/sdk.html">"LZMA SDK (Software Development Kit)"</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2013-06-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=LZMA+SDK+%28Software+Development+Kit%29&rft.date=2008&rft.au=Igor+Pavlov&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2F7-zip.org%2Fsdk.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-tinyspeckcc0-57"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-tinyspeckcc0_57-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFtinyspeck2013" class="citation web cs1">tinyspeck (2013-11-18). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.glitchthegame.com/public-domain-game-art/">"Glitch is Dead, Long Live Glitch! - Art & Code from the Game Released into Public Domain"</a>. glitchthegame.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2013-12-11</span></span>. <q>The entire library of art assets from the game, has been made freely available, dedicated to the public domain. Code from the game client is included to help developers work with the assets. All of it can be downloaded and used by anyone, for any purpose.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Glitch+is+Dead%2C+Long+Live+Glitch%21+-+Art+%26+Code+from+the+Game+Released+into+Public+Domain&rft.pub=glitchthegame.com&rft.date=2013-11-18&rft.au=tinyspeck&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.glitchthegame.com%2Fpublic-domain-game-art%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-pcworld-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-pcworld_58-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBlackwell2013" class="citation web cs1">Blackwell, Laura (2013-11-18). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2064273/afterlife-of-an-mmo-glitchs-offbeat-art-enters-public-domain.html">"Afterlife of an MMO: Glitch's offbeat art enters public domain"</a>. pcworld.com<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2013-12-11</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Afterlife+of+an+MMO%3A+Glitch%27s+offbeat+art+enters+public+domain&rft.pub=pcworld.com&rft.date=2013-11-18&rft.aulast=Blackwell&rft.aufirst=Laura&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcworld.com%2Farticle%2F2064273%2Fafterlife-of-an-mmo-glitchs-offbeat-art-enters-public-domain.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-59">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://keccak.noekeon.org/KeccakReferenceAndOptimized-3.2.zip">KeccakReferenceAndOptimized-3.2.zip</a> in mainReference.c: <i>"The Keccak sponge function, designed by Guido Bertoni, Joan Daemen, Michaël Peeters and Gilles Van Assche. For more information, feedback or questions, please refer to our website: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://keccak.noekeon.org/Implementation">http://keccak.noekeon.org/Implementation</a><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"><span title=" Dead link tagged April 2018">permanent dead link</span></a></i><span style="visibility:hidden; color:transparent; padding-left:2px">‍</span>]</span></sup> by the designers, hereby denoted as 'the implementer'. To the extent possible under law, the implementer has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to the source code in this file. <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/</a>"</i>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-60"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-60">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Chalk, Andy (10 January 2023). <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.pcgamer.com/duelyst-source-code-is-now-free-for-everyone-no-strings-attached/">[1]</a>. PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 30 April 2024.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-61"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-61">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/325327/Skipping_Steam_Why_Jason_Rohrer_independently_distributes_One_Hour_One_Life.php">Skipping Steam: Why Jason Rohrer independently distributes One Hour, One Life</a> on <a href="/wiki/Gamasutra" class="mw-redirect" title="Gamasutra">Gamasutra</a> by Richard Moss <i>"you're paying for an account on the server that I'm running. [...], and it's actually in the public domain — the source code's all available."</i> (on August 30, 2018)</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public-domain_software&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.en.html#PublicDomainSoftware">"Public domain software"</a>. <i>Categories of free and nonfree software</i>. <a href="/wiki/Free_Software_Foundation" title="Free Software Foundation">Free Software Foundation</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2013-07-31</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Categories+of+free+and+nonfree+software&rft.atitle=Public+domain+software&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gnu.org%2Fphilosophy%2Fcategories.en.html%23PublicDomainSoftware&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150319232816/http://www.cod5.org/archive/">"Cod5.org: public domain software source code archive"</a>. Cod5. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://cod5.org/archive/">the original</a> on 2015-03-19<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-03-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Cod5.org%3A+public+domain+software+source+code+archive&rft.pub=Cod5&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fcod5.org%2Farchive%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic-domain+software" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180708180735/http://unlicense.org/#unlicensed-free-software">"Unlicensed Free Software"</a>. Unlicense. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://unlicense.org/#unlicensed-free-software">the original</a> on 2018-07-08<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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