Making your GitHub project public is not the same as licensing your project. When you create a new project on GitHub, you have the option to make the repository private or public. Your project’s community, or your employer’s policies, may also require your project to use specific open source licenses. That means nobody can use, copy, distribute, or modify their contributions – and that “nobody” includes you.įinally, your project may have dependencies with license requirements that you weren’t aware of. If you don’t apply an open source license, everybody who contributes to your project also becomes an exclusive copyright holder of their work. But because the legal default is still exclusive copyright, you need a license that explicitly states these permissions. Open source is an unusual circumstance, however, because the author expects that others will use, modify, and share the work. In general, that means nobody else can use, copy, distribute, or modify your work without being at risk of take-downs, shake-downs, or litigation. That is, the law assumes that as the author of your work, you have a say in what others can do with it. Glad you asked! When you make a creative work (such as writing, graphics, or code), that work is under exclusive copyright by default. (Before you dig in, be sure to read our disclaimer.) Why do people care so much about the legal side of open source? Thankfully, you don’t have to start from scratch. It can also mean a bunch of legal things you didn’t know you had to worry about. Sharing your creative work with the world can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Understanding the legal implications of open source

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