KnowledgeTree Public License FAQ | Document Management Software

This is the Frequently Asked Questions page for the KnowledgeTree Public License (KPL), the license under which KnowledgeTree Open Source edition is distributed.

Please note that this FAQ is not the license itself and is not legal advice. Please contact us if you have any further queries regarding the KPL.

What is the KnowledgeTree Public License?
The KnowledgeTree Public License is an amended version of the Mozilla Public License (MPL) Version 1.1. Our usage of the MPL in this way is heavily influenced by other successful commercial open source projects such as SugarCRM Open Source. We have modified the MPL to make it more specific to KnowledgeTree Open Source:
- All references to Netscape or Mozilla have been changed to reflect KnowledgeTree or JamWarehouse;
- We have added Exhibit B, which defines how the KnowledgeTree branding (name and logos) may be utilized and ensures that our copyright notices are kept intact.
What is covered by the KPL?
The entire source code base (unless explicitly states otherwise within the source code file) of KnowledgeTree Open Source versions 3.1 to 3.4 is released under the KnowledgeTree Public License. Previous versions of KnowledgeTree Open Source are licensed under the GNU General Public License.
How 'viral' is the KPL? If I use KPLed code in my proprietary application, will I have to give all the source code away?
The KPL has a limited amount of 'copyleft' - more copyleft than the BSD family of licenses, which have no copyleft at all, but less than the LGPL or the GPL. It is based around the definition of a 'Modification' in the license.

What is a Modification? Any changes to KPLed files, or new files into which KPLed code has been copied, are Modifications and so fall under the KPL. New files containing only your code are not Modifications, and not covered by the KPL.

Files which fall under the KPL because they are or contain Modifications must be made available as detailed in the license. Other files may be kept proprietary.
What am I allowed to do with source code licensed under the KPL?
We are very excited about getting as many people involved in our community as possible. The KPL allows less restrictive use of our source code than the GPL (see above) and therefore you may more readily utilize a derivative work of the original KnowledgeTree Open Source code base. We do suggest you read and thoroughly understand the license prior to utilizing the source code within your own application.
What specific restrictions and obligations does the KPL place on usage KnowledgeTree Open Source?
- You may not restrict access to derived works of KPL licensed code. If you modify KnowledgeTree Open Source and distribute it to a third-party, you must make the modification freely available to everybody.
- You may not remove our copyright notices.
- You may not remove or modify the "KnowledgeTree Document Management Server" logo from the application user interface.
Do I own the code I wrote for KnowledgeTree Open Source?
Any code that you write, including modifications to KPL'ed code written by somebody else, is owned by you. Please do remember that KPL'ed code does however come with a set of obligations that still apply to the code you have written and that you may not relicense KPL'ed code under a different license, even if you own portions of it.

If you would like to contribute your code back to the core KnowledgeTree project, please have a look at our Contribution Instructions.