Jini Network Technology

Overview

Originally licensed under the open Sun Community Source License model, the license model for Jini technology changed in March 2005, when Sun opened it further to facilitate the technology's broader adoption and technical advancement within a growing Community. Under today's licensing model for Jini technology, license choice is a freedom that developers and companies in the Jini Community have for their Jini technology works.

Licensing of Sun's Jini Technology Contributions

Sun Microsystems' Jini technology contributions, including specifications and source code, are freely available under open technology licensing models. Contributions made by Sun since March, 2005 are available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (ALv2). Sun also provides a separate patent non-assertion covenant in association with Jini Community standard specifications which it releases under the ALv2. Releases of Sun's Jini technology contributions made prior to March, 2005 are licensed under the Sun Community Source License (SCSL) model.

Apache License, Version 2.0 (ALv2)

As part of its March, 2005 move to open up the licensing model for Jini technology, Sun selected the Apache License, Version 2.0 as the license under which future Jini technology contributions from Sun would be released. This license was chosen following extensive, open, and collaborative discussions with the Jini Community, in which the ALv2 was determined to best meet the licensing requirements most important to Sun and the Jini Community. Chief among the attributes which this license provides are:

• acceptance as a commonly used and open source license
• usability by different licensors without modification
• applicability for both code and specifications
• clear patent language

Sun provides a Jini Community Standards Patent Non-Assertion Covenant separately, but in association with Jini technology Standard specifications that Sun makes available under the ALv2. The covenant enables others to create unrestricted independent implementations of the specifications.

Sun Community Source License (SCSL)

Jini technology was originally released by Sun Microsystems under the Sun Community Source License (SCSL) model. This model was designed to enable source code to be freely shared and distributed within the Jini technology developer community, to foster developmental growth of a Jini Community, and to preserve compatibility among commercially used Jini technology implementations. The SCSL model was extremely effective, and, as the Jini Community grew, Sun and the Jini Community jointly determined that a less restrictive license model was needed to facilitate the ongoing technical advancement and broadening adoption of the technology. This led to Sun's opening of the Jini technology license model, and Sun's current practice of releasing its Jini technology contributions under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

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