Universal Permissive License v1.0
PermissiveSPDX identifier:
UPL-1.0OSI ✓Data updated Sep 26, 2026In plain words
A short permissive license with an express patent grant, used by Oracle for GraalVM and other projects.
Analogy: The MIT free book, with an added promise about patents.
Pros
- + Short and permissive
- + Express patent grant
Cons
- - No patent retaliation clause
- - Less known than MIT or Apache
Well-known projects using it
5 well-known projects in our map use this license.
Permissions
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Private use
- Patent grant
Conditions
- Keep copyright notice
Limitations
- No liability
- No warranty
Extreme scenarios · Code licenses
- A1AllowedA cloud vendor sells your project as a managed service
- A2AllowedSomeone forks it and distributes a closed-source competitor
- A3AllowedEmbedded in a closed-source SaaS backend (not distributed)
- A4AllowedLinked into a closed-source app or firmware and distributed
- A5Not addressedSomeone promotes a modified version with your name or trademark
- A6AllowedSomeone sells unmodified copies
- B1Not addressedA user sues you for patent infringement and keeps using the code
- B2Blocked by licenseA contributor asserts patents on their contributed code
- B3Not addressedA cross-border dispute: governing law and venue
- C1With conditionsYou later relicense or sell commercial licenses (contributors signed no CLA)
- C2AllowedYour code is merged into a GPL-3.0 project
- C3Blocked by licenseYou use a GPL-3.0 dependency and still ship under this license
- C4AllowedThe project is abandoned and someone forks it to continue
- C5Blocked by licenseYou want to block only big companies or competitors
- C6Not addressedKey code was written by an employee and the employer objects
- D1Blocked by licenseSomeone removes copyright or attribution notices
- D2AllowedSomeone modifies files without marking the changes
- D3AllowedInternal modification, no distribution and no external service
- D4AllowedUsed for military, surveillance or other uses you object to
- D5Not addressedUsed by a sanctioned entity
- D6Not addressedYour code is used to train an AI model
Worst-case radar
- 1Stops free-riding0
- 2Stops closed forks0
- 3Patent protection50
- 4Adoption friction0
- 5Hard to relicense50
Computed from the scenario matrix. Higher means more of that property, not "better".
Compare with…
Official text
Only the official text is legally binding. We do not translate license texts.
https://spdx.org/licenses/UPL-1.0.html
Universal Permissive License v1.0
Copyright (c) [year] [copyright holders]
The Universal Permissive License (UPL), Version 1.0
Subject to the condition set forth below, permission is hereby granted to any person obtaining a copy of this software, associated documentation and/or data (collectively the "Software"), free of charge and under any and all copyright rights in the Software, and any and all patent rights owned or freely licensable by each licensor hereunder covering either (i) the unmodified Software as contributed to or provided by such licensor, or (ii) the Larger Works (as defined below), to deal in both
(a) the Software, and
(b) any piece of software and/or hardware listed in the lrgrwrks.txt file if one is included with the Software (each a “Larger Work” to which the Software is contributed by such licensors),
without restriction, including without limitation the rights to copy, create derivative works of, display, perform, and distribute the Software and make, use, sell, offer for sale, import, export, have made, and have sold the Software and the Larger Work(s), and to sublicense the foregoing rights on either these or other terms.
This license is subject to the following condition:
The above copyright notice and either this complete permission notice or at a minimum a reference to the UPL must be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.