Mozilla Releases Version 2.0 of Its License
22.05.12
The new license like its is predecessor MPL 1.1 is a file-level copyleft license, that allows users to create projects that combine MPL licensed code with code under other open or proprietary licenses.
Mozilla describes its MPL as filling a "useful space in the spectrum of free and open source software licenses, sitting between the Apache license, which does not require modifications to be shared, and the GNU family of licenses, which requires modifications to be shared under a much broader set of circumstances than the MPL". The GNU General Public License of the Free Software Foundation is a widely used free software license.
The new version of the MPL, which was drafted after a 21-month public consultation process, also 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, Mozilla said.
The primary change in the new version is simplification, according to Mozilla. For example, rather than exactly specifying the amount of time source code must be available, the source code must simply be made available when the executable is made available, it added.
Source: PCWorld