Open source license with backlink requirement
- by KajMagnus
I'm developing a Javascript library, and I'm thinking about releasing it under an open source license (e.g. GPL, BSD, MIT) — but that requires that websites that use the software link back to my website.
Do you know about any such licenses? And how have they formulated the attribution part of the license text?
Do you think this BSD-license would do what you think that I want? (I suppose it doesn't :-))
[...]
3. Each website that redistributes this work must include a visible rel=follow link to my-website.example.com, reachable via rel=follow
links from each page where the software is being redistributed.
(For example, you could have a link back to your homepage, and from your
homepage to an About-Us section, which could link to a Credits
section)
I realize that some companies wouldn't want to use the library because of legal issues with interpreting non-standard licenses (have a look at this answer: http://programmers.stackexchange.com/a/156859/54906). — After half a year, or perhaps some years, I'd change the license to plain GPL + MIT.