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Open-Source Software

Develop, share, and reuse open source software for public administrations.

Which project can be hosted on Joinup? Back to top

 The use of Joinup is regulated by 10 principles.

My program licensed under the EUPL uses components licensed under the GPL! Back to top

 Simply “using” components covered by any GPL version has no impact on licensing your own code. Even when a larger work appears to the end user to be a unique program, its components, when their source code are combined without...

Can I modify the EUPL? Back to top

 I like most of the EUPL provisions, but I would like to change some points, making my own version. Can I do that?

The EUPL is copyrighted by the European Community (the European Union after the Lisbon treaty). It...

Are Joinup hosted projects “non-commercial” (program downloaded “for free”, free of licensing charges)? Back to top

 No, everyone has the right to sell copies, or to ask for a contribution. Services (training, implementation, suport etc.) are nearly never for free. Some licences (like the EUPL) states that the licence is “royalty free”,...

Does “Open source” require that source code of any modified versions be posted to the public? Back to top

 No. You are free to make modifications and use them privately, without ever releasing them. This applies to organizations (including public administrations and companies) that can make and use modified version internally without ever...

What to do if I discover a possible violation of the licence or of the Joinup principles? Back to top

 You should report it to the Joinup legal service, which will investigate and try to solve the issue amicably. If needed, the Joinup administrator will remove / put...

Is the use of the EUPL licence compulsory? Back to top

No, any licence that is recognized by the OSI (Open Source Initiative), or the FSF ( Free Software Foundation) will be accepted for distributing projects hosted on...

Are there other Free/OSS licences? What about the EUPL? Back to top

F/OSS licences are (too) numerous. Facing this proliferation, the Open-Source Initiative (OSI) is the main organisation maintaining a list of "approved licenses". The European Union Public Licence (EUPL) was created by the European...