Maven: The Definitive Guide

About the Apache Software License

Apache Maven is released under the Apache License, version 2.0. If you want to read this license, you can look at ${M2_HOME}/LICENSE.txt or read it on the Open Source Initiative’s web site at http://www.opensource.org/licenses/apache2.0.php.

Chances are good that, if you are reading this book, you are not a lawyer. If you are wondering what the Apache License, version 2.0 means, the Apache Software Foundation has assembled a very helpful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page about the license, available here: http://www.apache.org/foundation/licence-FAQ.html. Here’s the answer to the frequently asked question “I am not a lawyer. What does it all mean?”:

[This license] allows you to:

• Freely download and use Apache software, in whole or in part, for personal, company internal, or commercial purposes;

• Use Apache software in packages or distributions that you create.

It forbids you to:

• Redistribute any piece of Apache-originated software without proper attribution;

• Use any marks owned by the Apache Software Foundation in any way that might state or imply that the Foundation endorses your distribution;

• Use any marks owned by the Apache Software Foundation in any way that might state or imply that you created the Apache software in question.

It requires you to:

• Include a copy of the license in any redistribution you may make that includes Apache software;

• Provide clear attribution to the Apache Software Foundation for any distributions that include Apache ...