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Topic : Choosing a license for an open-source book I would like to publish an ebook in open-source format on for example GitHub, and I am stuck with what license should be used for this type of work. - selfpublishingguru.com

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I would like to publish an ebook in open-source format on for example GitHub, and I am stuck with what license should be used for this type of work.

It seems like many open-source licenses available are for software, while there are very few for works of other kinds.

I've found at least three licenses that seem to be applicable on ebooks (open source):

Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Artistic 2.0 opensource.org/licenses/Artistic-2.0 No license choosealicense.com/licenses/no-license/

My question is if books need to have a license at all, or if it's enough to have a sentence stating "Copyright 2024 [author]". What rights do I have when choosing "No license" approach and is there a better license that is suited for open-source ebooks?


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I think that you need to separate your thinking and focus on this from the perspective of a writer and not a software developer. Licenses as you have identified them here do not really apply to books or e-books the same way that they do to software. If you look at the following examples and then compare them to a Copyright, I think you'll see that all you really need is a Copyright notice.

Creative Commons
A user may copy and distribute your work as long as they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. They cannot use your book for any commercial purpose. If they remix, transform, or build upon the material in your book, they cannot distribute the modified material.

Artistic License 2.0
Anyone is permitted to copy and distribute complete copies of your book, but changing it is not allowed.

No License
You retain all rights and do not allow any distribution or reproduction of your book, and no derivative works can be generated from your book.

Copyright
A user may copy and distribute portions of your work as long as they give appropriate credit and indicate if changes were made. They cannot use your book for any commercial purpose. You retain all rights and do not allow any distribution or reproduction of your book, and no derivative works can be generated from your book.

The most common thread among all of these is that nobody is allowed to make changes on your original work and then distribute it. If all you really want to do is give everyone free access to your work, then all you need to do is issue it with a Copyright notice.


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