PDDL-1.0 waives database rights to the public domain as far as the waiver can reach. Keep the SPDX id on the record anyway.
On this page
What it does
The ODC Public Domain Dedication and License tries to place a database in the public domain by waiving copyright and sui generis database rights. Where a waiver cannot operate, it falls back to a license. There is no attribution condition on the face of a successful waiver. Buyers still want the identifier on the inventory so the claim is inspectable.
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 use the work commercially. These texts are written to drop almost every restriction.
Modify
You may change the work and keep or publish those changes under your own terms.
Distribute
You may give copies away, including inside a closed product, without a copyleft duty.
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.
Provenance
A dedication is only as strong as the author's right to make it. If title is unclear, treat the files as needing review.
Obligations
Include notice
CC0 asks you not to imply endorsement. Keeping a record of the dedication is still good practice when you ship the files.
What PDDL-1.0 requires when you ship
PDDL-1.0 asks nothing of you: no notice, no attribution, no source duty. It still belongs on the attestation page so a buyer sees the whole inventory rather than only the interesting rows. The steps below are how to keep that record honest.
You meet the notice condition when each PDDL-1.0 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 PDDL-1.0
PDDL-1.0 names no duties. The empty list is the point. Keep the identifier on the record anyway so the inventory is complete.
Include notice
CC0 asks you not to imply endorsement. Keeping a record of the dedication is still good practice when you ship the files.
Things to be aware of
- Reading PDDL-1.0 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 Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 does not do
Search results often flatten Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 into a slogan. These are the usual misreads. PDDL-1.0 is a grant with conditions, not a permission to skip the paperwork below.
- PDDL-1.0 does not mean no obligations. The copyright line and the license text still have to travel with copies you distribute.
- PDDL-1.0 does not force you to open your own source. There is no copyleft here unless a later clause in this text says otherwise.
How PDDL-1.0 differs from nearby licenses
These licenses are often confused with PDDL-1.0, but their release duties differ. Each row summarizes what the license requires when you ship. Open the linked page for the full checklist.
- PDDL-1.0
- PDDL-1.0 waives database rights to the public domain as far as the waiver can reach. Keep the SPDX id on the record anyway.
- CC0-1.0
- CC0 waives copyright and adds a fallback license where a waiver is impossible. No credit required, and no patent rights.
- ODbL-1.0
- ODbL-1.0 is share-alike for databases, not code. OpenStreetMap uses it. Produced works have a notice duty; derivative databases stay under ODbL.
- ODC-By-1.0
- ODC-By-1.0 is attribution-only for databases. Share the data, keep the credit. No share-alike. Sibling of ODbL without copyleft.
Common questions about Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0
Answers to common questions about what Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 requires, when its duties apply, and what evidence belongs with a release.
What is the Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0?
The ODC Public Domain Dedication and License tries to place a database in the public domain by waiving copyright and sui generis database rights. Where a waiver cannot operate, it falls back to a license. There is no attribution condition on the face of a successful waiver. Buyers still want the identifier on the inventory so the claim is inspectable.
What does PDDL-1.0 require when you ship a product?
You meet the notice condition when each PDDL-1.0 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.
Should PDDL-1.0 still appear on an attestation page?
Yes. Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 asks nothing, and buyers still want the whole inventory rather than only the interesting rows.
How is PDDL-1.0 different from Creative Commons Zero v1.0?
PDDL-1.0 asks this: PDDL-1.0 waives database rights to the public domain as far as the waiver can reach. Keep the SPDX id on the record anyway. Creative Commons Zero v1.0 asks this: CC0 waives copyright and adds a fallback license where a waiver is impossible. No credit required, and no patent rights. Open the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 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 PDDL-1.0 for a buyer?
PDDL-1.0 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 PDDL-1.0 for a buyer?
PDDL-1.0 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.