FUTO Notes license, and what it lets you do with the source
The FUTO Notes app is licensed under the FUTO Source First License 1.1-kb, and the sync server under the Source First License 1.1. Both publish the full source. Under the app’s license you can use the app for any purpose, including at work. Modifying and redistributing either one is limited to non-commercial purposes, free of charge, and the server’s license limits using it to non-commercial purposes as well.
FUTO Notes is open source: the complete source for both the app and the server is public, and you can read, build, and run it yourself. The licenses are not OSI-approved, because they limit commercial modification and redistribution. The full text is in LICENSE.md in each repository: app and server. This page is a summary, not legal advice. Where it and the license text differ, the license text applies.
At a glance
| Can you… | App (Source First 1.1-kb) | Sync server (Source First 1.1) |
|---|---|---|
| Use it for yourself | Yes | Yes |
| Use it at work or in a business | Yes, “for any purpose” | No, non-commercial use only |
| Read and study the source | Yes | Yes |
| Modify it | Non-commercial purposes only | Non-commercial purposes only |
| Share copies or modified versions | Only free of charge, for non-commercial purposes | Only free of charge, for non-commercial purposes |
| Sell it or charge for copies | No | No |
| Remove payment-related features from copies you share | No | No |
| Remove license or copyright notices | No | No |
| Sublicense or transfer your license | No | No |
Using the app
The app’s license lets you use the app for any purpose:
You may use the software for any purpose.
That covers personal use, using it at your job, and using it across a company. This is the change announced with FUTO Notes 1.7.1, when the app moved to the “1.1-kb” terms. It is about using the app. It does not extend to modifying or redistributing the app commercially, and it does not apply to the sync server.
Modifying the source
Both licenses limit changes to non-commercial purposes. The app’s license:
You may modify the software only for non-commercial purposes such as personal use for research, experiment, and testing for the benefit of public knowledge, personal study, private entertainment, hobby projects, amateur pursuits, or religious observance, all without any anticipated commercial application.
So you can build the app yourself, patch it, or experiment with it, as long as there is no commercial purpose behind it. See Build FUTO Notes from source.
Sharing copies
Both licenses let you share copies only free of charge, for non-commercial purposes. The app’s license:
You may distribute the software or any part of its source code only if you do so free of charge for non-commercial purposes.
The server’s license words it as “distribute the software or provide it to others only if you do so free of charge for non-commercial purposes.”
Anyone who gets a copy from you must also get the license terms. If you changed the code, you must include “a prominent notice stating that you have modified the software”, for example in a README or an About screen. You may not remove or obscure FUTO’s licensing, copyright, or other notices, or “any functionality in the software related to payment to the Licensor” in a copy you give to others.
The sync server
You may use or modify the sync server only for non-commercial purposes. The server’s license puts use and modification in the same sentence:
You may use or modify the software only for non-commercial purposes such as personal use for research, experiment, and testing for the benefit of public knowledge, personal study, private entertainment, hobby projects, amateur pursuits, or religious observance, all without any anticipated commercial application.
That is the main difference between the two licenses: the app’s “any purpose” permission does not carry over to the server. See Self-host FUTO Notes sync.
Other terms in both licenses
- Patents: if you claim in writing that the software infringes a patent, your license ends immediately. If your company makes that claim, your license ends for work on behalf of your company.
- Termination: using the software in violation of the terms ends your license. If FUTO notifies you and you stop within 30 days, the license is reinstated. A second violation after that ends it permanently.
- No warranty: the software comes as is, and FUTO is not liable for damages from using it, as far as the law allows.
- Fair use: the licenses do not limit any fair use rights you have under the law.
- No trademark grant: using FUTO’s trademarks is subject to applicable law. The licenses do not grant any other rights.
Third-party libraries the app and server depend on remain under their own licenses.
Next steps
- Get the app: you may use it for any purpose, including at work.
- Build FUTO Notes from source: build and modify the app for non-commercial purposes.
- Self-host FUTO Notes sync: run the sync server for your own non-commercial use.