The Python License is a deprecated computer software license created by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives

Corporation for National Research Initiatives

The Corporation for National Research Initiatives , based in Reston, Virginia, is a non-profit organization founded in 1986 by Robert E. Kahn as an "activities center around strategic development of network-based information technologies", including the National Information Infrastructure in the...

 (CNRI). It was used for versions 1.6 and 2.0 of the Python programming language

Python (programming language)

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...

, both released in the year 2000. The Python License is similar to the BSD License and, while it is a free software license, its wording means that it is incompatible with the GNU General Public License

GNU General Public License

The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....

 (GPL) used by a great deal of free software including the Linux kernel

Linux kernel

The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....

. For this reason CNRI retired the license in 2001 in favour of the Python Software Foundation License

Python Software Foundation License

The Python Software Foundation License is a BSD-style, permissive free software license which is compatible with the GNU General Public License . Its primary use is for distribution of the Python project software...

.

Origin

Python was created by Guido van Rossum

Guido van Rossum

Guido van Rossum is a Dutch computer programmer who is best known as the author of the Python programming language. In the Python community, Van Rossum is known as a "Benevolent Dictator For Life" , meaning that he continues to oversee the Python development process, making decisions where necessary...

 and the initial copyright was held by his employer, the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI). During this time Python was distributed under a GPL-compatible variant of the Historical Permission Notice and Disclaimer

Historical Permission Notice and Disclaimer

The Historical Permission Notice and Disclaimer is an open source license, approved by the Open Source Initiative . It is unique among the OSI's licenses because of the choices it allows in its construction; it lets the licensor pick anywhere from 0-2 warranty disclaimers, whether they want to...

 license.. CNRI obtained ownership of Python when van Rossum became employed there, and after some years they drafted a new license for the language.

Retirement

The Python License includes a clause stating that the license is governed by the State of Virginia, United States. The Python Software Foundation License

Python Software Foundation License

The Python Software Foundation License is a BSD-style, permissive free software license which is compatible with the GNU General Public License . Its primary use is for distribution of the Python project software...

; Python 1.6.1 differs from Python 1.6 only in some minor bug fixes and new GPL-compatible licensing terms.