European Union Public Licence (EUPL)

Definition:

The European Union Public Licence (EUPL) is an open source software license developed by the European Commission. It is available in all official languages of the European Union and offers a legal framework specifically tailored to the European context. This makes the EUPL a central alternative to other open source licenses in use worldwide.

A significant advantage of the European Union Public Licence is its compatibility with other well-known open source licenses, such as the GNU General Public License (GPL). This interoperability facilitates the exchange of source code between projects with different licenses, which promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing in the open source ecosystem. The EUPL can be used for any type of computer program or database, regardless of the industry or specific application.

The extensive rights of use granted to users are a central component of the EUPL. These include the right to use, copy, distribute, modify and create derivative works based on the software. However, changes must be published in accordance with the copyleft principle, which means that they must be made available under the same license.

In addition, the European Union Public License protects the rights of developers and users with provisions for the protection of patent rights, which ensures fair use of the software. The EUPL thus offers a high degree of legal certainty for all parties involved – a decisive advantage in the European open source landscape.

With the European Union Public License, the European Commission aims to promote the distribution of open source software in Europe and strengthen the exchange of knowledge on the continent. It thus represents an important and legally compliant alternative to other licenses that is specifically tailored to the European legal framework.

Advantages:

• Promotes software reuse and collaboration within the EU
• Ensures compatibility with other major open source licenses
• Protects both the end user and the developer legally

Application in OpenTalk:

OpenTalk has published its source code under the EUPL, which means that the software is freely available and can be installed on your own servers. This openness allows users and developers to operate, extend and customize the platform digitally sovereign, while building on security and trust standards.