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Developer switches default software license to EUPL-1.2 for new projects
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The author has changed the default license for new software from permissive MIT to the EU's strong copyleft EUPL-1.2, which requires reciprocal licensing even for SaaS use.
Engineers adopting the new default must ensure their SaaS offerings comply with EUPL's reciprocal licensing terms, which differ from the permissive MIT approach. The license's official translations into 23 languages may ease compliance for international teams, but projects that rely on permissive licensing for commercial SaaS may need to reconsider their distribution model.
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The default license for new projects changed from MIT to EUPL-1.2, a strong copyleft license approved by the OSI.
EUPL-1.2 requires reciprocal licensing regardless of how the software is distributed, closing the SaaS loophole present in many permissive licenses.
The license includes legally valid official translations in 23 languages, supporting global use outside Silicon Valley.
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The author describes a shift in licensing philosophy after decades of using LGPLv2 for a web framework and MIT for JavaScript projects. The change reflects a reassessment of the benefits of permissive licenses for users and developers. The new default license, EUPL-1.2, is presented as a response to perceived shortcomings of the open-source approach that favored corporate advantage.
Adopting EUPL-1.2 introduces obligations that were absent under MIT: any modification or use, including as a service over a network, must be shared under the same license. This means engineers must track and provide source code for SaaS deployments, increasing compliance effort. Projects that previously relied on permissive licensing to allow proprietary extensions will need to evaluate whether those extensions remain permissible.
The license’s strong copyleft nature may limit its adoption in contexts where partners expect permissive terms, potentially affecting collaboration with companies that avoid reciprocal obligations. However, the availability of official translations in 23 languages reduces barriers for non-English speaking contributors and users, which the author notes as a practical advantage.
Existing projects such as NoFlo will stay MIT-licensed to preserve compatibility with third-party contributions, while new works like reticulum-js and dacar will be released under EUPL-1.2. This split illustrates a pragmatic approach: maintaining permissive licensing for established, community-driven code while applying the stronger copyleft to new initiatives.
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