82 · Representative Documents: OSS Licenses
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
Technology Transfer Office. The Software Process
https://content.cu.edu/techtransfer/inv/software_process.html
Technology Transfer Office of University of Colorado
https://content.cu.edu/techtransfer/inv/software_process.html[6/25/14 4:16:00 PM]
The Software Process
Copyright Notice
Copyright notice can be added to software as soon as it is written. Formal copyright registration is not
necessary. Proper copyright notice for University of Colorado software is as follows:
Copyright Regents of the University of Colorado. All rights reserved.
Add this notice to your source code files, on each copy of the documentation and on your website.
Licensing Strategy
Ultimately, the end-goals of a project are defined and protected through permission statements and license
agreements. A software license agreement defines how binary or source code is to be used, copied,
distributed, and changed. Simply stated, it defines and protects the relationships which surround the research,
results, and adoption of a project. Some considerations for sharing copyrighted software are covered in this
bulletin on software licensing.
Here are a few templates that are ready to use:
Source Code Agreement for Non-Profits
Research License Agreement for both non-profits and for-profits
Open Source and Free Software
Open source and free software licenses come in many varieties. For help in deciding which is most appropriate
for your software, see the Technology Transfer Bulletin, Working with Open Source Software. The two basic
varieties are free software such as the GPL, which requires that the licensee only distribute derivative products
under the GPL, and open source such as the MIT-style license, which allows the source code to be
incorporated into a closed, "proprietary product".
Commercial Licenses
The Technology Transfer Office can develop a custom commercial license agreement for end users or
distributors of your software.
Managing Projects
All members of the project team should agree on common goals for the software and the roles of group
members. As the developer community grows, it will likely expand beyond the University of Colorado. It is very
important that the copyrights are managed so that the University has the rights to the copyrights that are
contributed by other parties. We recommend asking all contributors to agree to the Contributor License
Agreement (need to create a new link) which is based on the Apache Software Foundation’s agreement.
University software is subject to the royalty distribution formula in the Policy on Discoveries and Patents. (link?)
If a software project grows to many CU staff and students over time, each individual is entitled to a portion of
the 25% inventor’s share of royalties. Some groups choose to direct the inventors’ share into a pool of funds to
support the project itself. It is necessary for all CU contributors to sign a Project Participation Agreement (need
to create a new link) to make that possible.
Licensing Process
The Start-up Process
The Software Process
The MTA Process
The CDA Process
Policies
Forms and Documents
Tax Information
Resources
FAQs
Tech Transfer Home |University of Colorado Homepage |Contact Us
University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office
© University of Colorado Board of Regents
About Us For Investigators Business Community Proof of Concept Programs Available Technologies Media Contact Us
Search
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
Technology Transfer Office. The Software Process
https://content.cu.edu/techtransfer/inv/software_process.html
Technology Transfer Office of University of Colorado
https://content.cu.edu/techtransfer/inv/software_process.html[6/25/14 4:16:00 PM]
The Software Process
Copyright Notice
Copyright notice can be added to software as soon as it is written. Formal copyright registration is not
necessary. Proper copyright notice for University of Colorado software is as follows:
Copyright Regents of the University of Colorado. All rights reserved.
Add this notice to your source code files, on each copy of the documentation and on your website.
Licensing Strategy
Ultimately, the end-goals of a project are defined and protected through permission statements and license
agreements. A software license agreement defines how binary or source code is to be used, copied,
distributed, and changed. Simply stated, it defines and protects the relationships which surround the research,
results, and adoption of a project. Some considerations for sharing copyrighted software are covered in this
bulletin on software licensing.
Here are a few templates that are ready to use:
Source Code Agreement for Non-Profits
Research License Agreement for both non-profits and for-profits
Open Source and Free Software
Open source and free software licenses come in many varieties. For help in deciding which is most appropriate
for your software, see the Technology Transfer Bulletin, Working with Open Source Software. The two basic
varieties are free software such as the GPL, which requires that the licensee only distribute derivative products
under the GPL, and open source such as the MIT-style license, which allows the source code to be
incorporated into a closed, "proprietary product".
Commercial Licenses
The Technology Transfer Office can develop a custom commercial license agreement for end users or
distributors of your software.
Managing Projects
All members of the project team should agree on common goals for the software and the roles of group
members. As the developer community grows, it will likely expand beyond the University of Colorado. It is very
important that the copyrights are managed so that the University has the rights to the copyrights that are
contributed by other parties. We recommend asking all contributors to agree to the Contributor License
Agreement (need to create a new link) which is based on the Apache Software Foundation’s agreement.
University software is subject to the royalty distribution formula in the Policy on Discoveries and Patents. (link?)
If a software project grows to many CU staff and students over time, each individual is entitled to a portion of
the 25% inventor’s share of royalties. Some groups choose to direct the inventors’ share into a pool of funds to
support the project itself. It is necessary for all CU contributors to sign a Project Participation Agreement (need
to create a new link) to make that possible.
Licensing Process
The Start-up Process
The Software Process
The MTA Process
The CDA Process
Policies
Forms and Documents
Tax Information
Resources
FAQs
Tech Transfer Home |University of Colorado Homepage |Contact Us
University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office
© University of Colorado Board of Regents
About Us For Investigators Business Community Proof of Concept Programs Available Technologies Media Contact Us
Search
