LICENSE RADAR / DAY 02
Can I use this GitHub repository commercially?
Enter a public GitHub repository to check its reported license, common commercial-use obligations, and the risks this scan cannot cover. This is a first-pass reading, not legal advice.
GitHub license and commercial-use questions
- Does a public GitHub repository allow commercial use?
- Not by default. Public visibility alone does not grant broad permission to copy, modify, distribute, or sell the code. Those rights must come from a license or another explicit grant.
- Can MIT-licensed code be used commercially?
- Generally yes. Distributed copies must keep the copyright and license notice, and dependencies and other assets still need separate review.
- Can Apache-2.0 code be used commercially?
- Generally yes, subject to notice, modification-marking, and patent-related conditions. Review the repository’s NOTICE file when one exists.
- Can GPL or AGPL software be sold?
- Yes. Copyleft is not a noncommercial restriction, but distribution can trigger corresponding-source duties, and AGPL can add source-sharing duties for modified software used over a network.
- What if no license is detected?
- Do not treat a missing or unrecognized license as permission. Copyright applies by default; ask the rights holder or choose code with clear terms.
- Does License Radar scan every product risk?
- No. It checks one repository’s reported license evidence. Dependencies, assets, data, model weights, trademarks, dual licensing, repository history, and your distribution model remain outside this scan.