License library / Source-available software
Business Source License 1.1
Copy, modify and redistribute the software for any purpose other than production use; production use is allowed only as the licensor's Additional Use Grant says. Each version converts to an open source Change License on its Change Date.
SPDX BUSL-1.1 Version 1.1 Official text
Uses at a glance
| commercial use | Needs human review |
|---|---|
| production deployment | Needs human review |
| modification / derivatives | Permitted |
| redistribution | Permitted |
| sublicensing | Not documented |
| AI model training | Needs human review |
| inference-time use (RAG, prompts, generation) | Needs human review |
Why some uses need review
commercial use. Production use depends on the Additional Use Grant this licensor wrote into its copy of the license, which differs from project to project. A reviewer should read that grant.
production deployment. Production deployment depends on the licensor's Additional Use Grant. A reviewer should read that grant and the Change Date for the version you use.
inference-time use (RAG, prompts, generation). Running the software in production depends on the licensor's Additional Use Grant.
AI model training. The license grants broad rights but attaches conditions (such as keeping notices) to copies and adaptations. Whether a trained model, or its output, is a copy or adaptation that carries those conditions is legally unsettled, and in some places training may fall under an exception such as fair use. A human reviewer should confirm this use for your case.
Duties
- license notice
- keep change terms
Notes
- After the Change Date the version is available under the Change License the licensor named (often GPL-2.0-or-later or Apache-2.0).
- Not an open source license until the Change Date.
Resources under this license
No resource in the registry is published under this license yet.
For agents
curl -s https://www.rightshold.com/v1/licenses/check -H 'content-type: application/json' \
-d '{"license":"BUSL-1.1","intended_use":{"commercial_use":true,"deployment":true}}'Reading version 2026-10-09 by the Rightshold rights desk; reference hash 31257d5534c31ff2c61652851aa3101c6059debab99ac31076cb695d02bc95af identifies this license version. The license text governs; this is not legal advice.