Putting license in each code file? [closed]

Answer 1

EULA is the wrong term here, as the people looking at source code usually are not end users.

Legally, it makes no difference either; copyright does not need to be declared explicitly.

Basically, all you achieve is a lower risk of people accidentally violating your license terms. You'll have to decide how important that is to you.

I'd say the best compromise is to put a very short header containing a link (absolute URL as well as relative within the project) to the full license text into each source code file. That way, anyone who cares about the license knows where to find it (ideally, people who're willing to pay massive license fees; you certainly want those people to be able to contact you!)

Answer 2

I think the reasoning behind putting it in each file is a legal one. If the agreement is in each file, there is no chance of someone stumbling across a piece of code without being exposed to the license.

It may not be a good one, but all the big boys use it so if it's just visual pain, I would look for a better reason not to do the same.

If you're using GPL this is more of an issue, but if you're using public domain licenses like BSD or MIT, I don't think you really care what people do with the code anyway. I suppose it depends on how strict your license is.

Answer 3

It might depend on the license. The GPL distinguishes between preamble and license. It clearly states, that the (annoying) preamble must be part of the code:

Can I omit the preamble of the GPL, or the instructions for how to use it on your own programs, to save space?

The preamble and instructions are integral parts of the GNU GPL and may not be omitted. In fact, the GPL is copyrighted, and its license permits only verbatim copying of the entire GPL. (You can use the legal terms to make another license but it won't be the GNU GPL.) (1)

Source: 1) http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLOmitPreamble

See also http://softwarefreedom.org/resources/2012/ManagingCopyrightInformation.html

A free ebook from ifrOSS explains and comments the GPL 2 in german language. There is another one for GPL 3

For a well founded answer you should ask for a legal advice which is not available on sx. If you can not find a lawyer for your (open source) project, have a look at the FSFE legal network.

Answer 4

It depends on what the license dictates. The GPL, for example, instructs you to put a short notice in every source file, include the entire license somewhere in your source distribution, and make your source distribution available to anyone who get a copy of the binary distribution.

If you disagree with this, and it is YOUR code, you're free to choose a more agreeable license, or create your own.