New version of open source licence EUPL available

The European Commission has released a new version of the European Union Public Licence (EUPL), a tool for publishing any copyrighted work as open source. The licence is legally consistent with the copyright law of all EU countries and is especially well-suited for public administrations sharing IT solutions.

Compared to the previous versions, the updated EUPL v.1.2 has

1. broader coverage: 
   In addition to software, the new version also covers data, documents, technical specifications and standards, as well as software source codes. 
2. wider compatibility: 
   The new version is compatible with a wider range of other open source licences. 
3. more flexibility: 
   The new version gives users more room to add provisions, as long as these do not contradict the licence itself, e.g. users can add a reference to a specific law that is to be applied, choose a court for arbitration, etc. 
4. Croatian language version: 
   The EUPL v.1.2 is available in 23 EU languages. 

The first version of the EUPL was published in 2007 and the licence was updated in 2009. Later that year, the EUPL was certified as an open source licence by the Open Source Initiative, an organisation promoting open source software. 

By publishing the new version of the EUPL, the European Commission contributes to legal interoperability. The EUPL supports sharing and reusing IT solutions developed by public administrations, helping save time and lower costs.

Learn more:

• EUPL solution page
• EUPL v.1.2 published in the Official Journal of the European Union
• Understanding the new version of the EUPL
• EUPL community on Joinup