Revision Process is Complete!

The maintainers of the Mozilla Public License have published version 2.0 of the Mozilla Public License (html, txt). We hope that this license will serve its users well for the next decade, just as MPL 1.1 did.

New Home Page

Now that the license process has completed, mpl.mozilla.org will be retired. For further information about the MPL, please visit mozilla.org/MPL.

About the MPL

Just like version 1.1, version 2.0 of the Mozilla Public License is a “file-level copyleft” license. The license is designed to encourage contributors to share modifications they make to MPL-licensed code, while still allowing users to create projects that combine MPL-licensed code with code under other licenses (either open or proprietary).

MPL 2.0, like MPL 1.1 before it, has been approved as a free software license by the Free Software Foundation, and as an Open Source license by the Open Source Initiative.

What’s New

The result of a two year revision process that included feedback and suggestions from the Mozilla community, users of the MPL (both community and corporate), and the broader open source legal community, MPL 2.0 contains several important changes from MPL 1.1. In particular, MPL 2.0:

  • is simpler and shorter, using the past 10 years of in-practice application of the license to help better understand what is and isn’t necessary in an open source license.
  • is modernized for recent changes in copyright law, and incorporates feedback from lawyers outside the United States on issues of applicability in non-US jurisdictions.
  • provides patent protections for contributors more in line with those of other open source licenses, and allows an entire community of contributors to protect any contributor if they are sued.
  • provides compatibility with the Apache and GPL licenses, making code reuse and redistribution easier.

For a more complete list of changes, see the FAQ’s entry on “what has changed.”

Using MPL 2.0

The MPL FAQ explains how to use MPL 2.0 for new code, and the MPL Revision FAQ explains how to use MPL 2.0 for code originally licensed under MPL 1.1.

The Mozilla Project has announced that it will move to the new license. Further plans and procedures for moving to MPL will be announced on appropriate newsgroups, including mozilla-governance.

Other Materials

Along with the release of MPL 2.0, we have released a variety of materials designed to help answer questions about the new license.

  • FAQ: The MPL FAQ answers critical questions about the license. We will continue to revise and update this as new questions are asked.
  • Revision Process FAQ: The Revision Process FAQ answers questions about the process we followed to upgrade the license from 1.1 to 2.0, including details on the changes made to the license.
  • Historical Information: We’ve collected a variety of historical information about previous versions of the license, including old license texts and license FAQs, in one place, for reference.

Contacting Us

If you have any questions about the new MPL, please contact licensing@mozilla.org.