BSD-4-Clause is the original BSD with the advertising clause. That clause is why the FSF calls it GPL-incompatible. Prefer BSD-3-Clause when you can.
On this page
What it does
The original BSD License has four clauses: keep copyright in source, keep it in binaries, do not use names to endorse, and the advertising clause that requires acknowledgment in all advertising materials. University of California later retracted the advertising clause for its own code, which produced BSD-3-Clause. You still meet 4-clause text in old networking stacks.
Pros
- Easy to drop into a closed, paid product. Procurement has seen this family many times.
- No copyleft on your own files. You keep your source private.
Cons
- The notice duty is easy to miss in a desktop, mobile, or container build. A web page is not a substitute for notices inside the artifact.
- Transitive copies in the lockfile count. Listing only direct dependencies leaves notices out.
What it allows and requires
Choose a category to see the full grant in one scannable list. Permissions show what the license allows, limits show what it withholds, and obligations show the conditions your release process must satisfy.
Permissions
Commercial use
You may ship the code inside a paid product. The license does not restrict commercial use.
Modify
You may change the code, including keeping those changes private, unless a later obligation says otherwise.
Distribute
You may give copies to others. Distribution is what usually turns notice and source duties into real work.
Sublicense
You may include the code under your own product terms, so long as you still meet this license's conditions.
Private use
Use inside your company, including internal forks, does not by itself trigger distribution duties.
Limits
Hold liable
The authors disclaim warranty. Recipients cannot hold them liable for damages arising from the software, except where law forbids that disclaimer.
Use trademark
The license is not a trademark license. Names, logos and product marks stay with their owners unless a separate grant says otherwise.
Patent grant
The text does not grant patents. If buyers want an express patent grant, Apache-2.0 is the usual alternative.
Endorse with names
You may not use the names of the University, the authors, or contributors to endorse derived products without prior written permission.
Obligations
Include copyright
Keep the copyright line with every copy or substantial portion you distribute.
Include license
Keep the license text with every copy or substantial portion you distribute. A web page is not a substitute for notices inside a shipped artifact.
Give credit
Advertising materials must include the acknowledgment the license names.
What BSD-4-Clause requires when you ship
When a copy that includes BSD-4-Clause code leaves your company, the grant is broad and the paperwork is easy to miss. Distribution here means an installer, a mobile binary, a container image, or an SDK another team embeds. Work this list against the artifact you actually hand over, not against a README. A hosted service that never gives out a copy still belongs on the record, but the notice duty does not fire until a copy exists.
You meet the notice condition when each BSD-4-Clause component's copyright line and license text appear in the material the recipient actually gets.
You are done for a hosted service that never hands out a copy. Running the software for users over a network does not, by itself, trigger a notice duty.
You are covered for a desktop, mobile or on-premise build when the notices sit inside the artifact. An about screen or a bundled licenses file both work.
The duties named in BSD-4-Clause
The license text itself is short. These are the named conditions. They follow the code, including files you vendor into your own repository and transitive packages in the lockfile.
Include copyright
Keep the copyright line with every copy or substantial portion you distribute.
Include license
Keep the license text with every copy or substantial portion you distribute. A web page is not a substitute for notices inside a shipped artifact.
Give credit
Advertising materials must include the acknowledgment the license names.
Things to be aware of
- Reading BSD-4-Clause as no obligations at all and shipping a binary with no notices in it. Put the notices in the artifact you hand over.
- Deleting the license header when you copy one or two files into your own repository. The condition follows the code, not the package it came in.
What the BSD 4-Clause Original does not do
Search results often flatten BSD 4-Clause Original into a slogan. These are the usual misreads. BSD-4-Clause is a grant with conditions, not a permission to skip the paperwork below.
- BSD-4-Clause does not mean no obligations. The copyright line and the license text still have to travel with copies you distribute.
- BSD-4-Clause does not force you to open your own source. There is no copyleft here unless a later clause in this text says otherwise.
How BSD-4-Clause differs from nearby licenses
These licenses are often confused with BSD-4-Clause, but their release duties differ. Each row summarizes what the license requires when you ship. Open the linked page for the full checklist.
- BSD-4-Clause
- BSD-4-Clause is the original BSD with the advertising clause. That clause is why the FSF calls it GPL-incompatible. Prefer BSD-3-Clause when you can.
- BSD-3-Clause
- Permissive like MIT, with one extra rule: you may not use the authors' names to promote your product. Notices travel with source and binaries.
- BSD-2-Clause
- MIT in BSD wording. Use it in a closed product, and keep the copyright line, the conditions and the disclaimer with every copy you distribute.
Common questions about BSD 4-Clause Original
Answers to common questions about what BSD 4-Clause Original requires, when its duties apply, and what evidence belongs with a release.
What is the BSD 4-Clause Original?
The original BSD License has four clauses: keep copyright in source, keep it in binaries, do not use names to endorse, and the advertising clause that requires acknowledgment in all advertising materials. University of California later retracted the advertising clause for its own code, which produced BSD-3-Clause. You still meet 4-clause text in old networking stacks.
What does BSD-4-Clause require when you ship a product?
You meet the notice condition when each BSD-4-Clause component's copyright line and license text appear in the material the recipient actually gets. You are done for a hosted service that never hands out a copy. Running the software for users over a network does not, by itself, trigger a notice duty. You are covered for a desktop, mobile or on-premise build when the notices sit inside the artifact. An about screen or a bundled licenses file both work.
Does BSD-4-Clause require me to open my own source?
BSD-4-Clause does not force you to open your own source. There is no copyleft here unless a later clause in this text says otherwise.
How do I attribute BSD-4-Clause in a product I ship?
Attribution for BSD-4-Clause means the copyright line and the license text travel with every copy a recipient actually gets. That can be an about screen, a licenses file inside the installer, or a notice in the container image. A public page helps a buyer audit the inventory. It does not replace notices inside the artifact. If you copied files into your own repository, the header on those files still has to stay.
Is a website notice enough for BSD-4-Clause?
No. BSD-4-Clause talks about copies. A public attestation page is the honest list for procurement. The condition is met when the notices sit in the material you hand over. Put them in the installer, the about screen, or a licenses file inside the binary, then keep the same texts on the page.
Do transitive BSD-4-Clause dependencies count?
Yes. The condition follows the code, not the package you chose by name. If the lockfile pulled in BSD-4-Clause transitively and you distribute that tree, those notices travel too. Listing only direct dependencies is how teams miss the duty.
How is BSD-4-Clause different from BSD 3-Clause License?
BSD-4-Clause asks this: BSD-4-Clause is the original BSD with the advertising clause. That clause is why the FSF calls it GPL-incompatible. Prefer BSD-3-Clause when you can. BSD 3-Clause License asks this: Permissive like MIT, with one extra rule: you may not use the authors' names to promote your product. Notices travel with source and binaries. Open the BSD 3-Clause License page for what that license requires when you ship. Do not treat the SPDX ids as interchangeable because the short names look similar.
Where do I record BSD-4-Clause for a buyer?
BSD-4-Clause is a notice license in the catalog, so a component under it needs license text attached before it counts as live on your published page. SourceTrust fetches the published artifact, extracts the license file, and compares that text against the declared SPDX id. A match fills the text in. Every other outcome waits for a person. The stored text is what your page and each export file carry.
Where do I record BSD-4-Clause for a buyer?
BSD-4-Clause is a notice license in the catalog, so a component under it needs license text attached before it counts as live on your published page. SourceTrust fetches the published artifact, extracts the license file, and compares that text against the declared SPDX id.
A match fills the text in. Every other outcome waits for a person.
The stored text is what your page and each export file carry. Read /docs/auto-fetch-license for how the fetch works.
See also
The hub is the pillar for this cluster. Sibling licenses are the other spokes. Product FAQ links explain how SourceTrust records the duty, not the license text itself.
Practical guidance for procurement review, not legal advice. Confirm high-stakes use with counsel.