IBM Public License
| Company type | Software license |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software licensing |
| Founder | IBM |
| Products | Open-source software licenses |
The IBM Public License (IPL) is a free open-source software license developed by IBM and occasionally implemented by the company. It holds approval from the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and is acknowledged as an "open-source license" by the Open Source Initiative.
Unlike the GNU General Public License (GPL), the IPL assigns legal responsibility to the publisher or distributor of the licensed software. This approach supports commercial utilization of open-source code while shielding contributors from potential legal liabilities. Proponents emphasize that the IPL offers a more explicit allocation of responsibility compared to the GPL.
The IPL is incompatible with the GPL, primarily due to provisions such as a choice of law clause that mandates interpretation under New York State and United States intellectual property law. According to the FSF, this clause causes incompatibility with the GPL.
In terms of patents, the IPL differs from the GPL by terminating the license if patent disputes arise.
Prominent software released under the IPL includes Postfix, OpenAFS, and the now-discontinued Jikes compiler for Java.