The license on Unicode data, ICU and CLDR. Permissive: carry the Unicode copyright and permission notice with every copy you distribute.
On this page
What it does
Unicode-3.0 is the current license for Unicode Consortium data files and software, replacing the older Unicode-DFS-2015 and Unicode-DFS-2016 terms. It covers the tables and code behind ICU, CLDR and most internationalization stacks. That is why it appears in Rust, Java and JavaScript projects that never touch Unicode directly. You may use it commercially, modify the data, embed it in a closed product and redistribute it. The condition is that the Unicode copyright notice and permission notice travel with every copy, including in the documentation that accompanies a distribution.
Details
Two practical points. First, Unicode data is not public data. It is licensed, and the notice condition is real the moment you ship the tables inside an app or a binary. Second, look at how it appears in a lockfile. Cargo packages commonly declare something like (MIT OR Apache-2.0) AND Unicode-3.0, which is a choice between two licenses combined with a third that always applies. Every part of an AND expression binds at once, so the Unicode notice is not something you can elect your way out of.
Pros
- Easy to drop into a closed, paid product. Procurement has seen this family hundreds of 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.
- Buyers who want an express patent grant will ask you to prefer Apache-2.0 over a short MIT-style text.
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.
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.
Include notice
Data files and software under Unicode-3.0 keep the copyright and permission notice in copies and documentation.
What Unicode-3.0 requires when you ship
When a copy that includes Unicode-3.0 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 are meeting the terms when the Unicode copyright and permission notice appear with every copy of the data files or software that you distribute.
You are meeting the terms for a binary that carries ICU or CLDR data when the notice ships inside it. The licenses file or about screen is the place.
You are done for a hosted service that never hands out the data files, beyond recording the component with its license text.
You have handled an expression such as (MIT OR Apache-2.0) AND Unicode-3.0 when you record the arm you chose and keep Unicode-3.0 alongside it.
Your duties do not change when you modify the data, and you may not use the Unicode name to advertise or promote your product without written permission.
The duties named in Unicode-3.0
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.
Include notice
Data files and software under Unicode-3.0 keep the copyright and permission notice in copies and documentation.
Things to be aware of
- Treating Unicode tables as unlicensed public data and leaving them off the list. They are licensed, and they carry a notice condition.
- Electing one arm of a combined expression and dropping the rest. In (MIT OR Apache-2.0) AND Unicode-3.0, the Unicode part is not optional.
- Assuming a Rust or Java project has no Unicode component because nothing in your own code calls it. It usually arrives through a dependency.
What the Unicode License v3 does not do
Search results often flatten Unicode License v3 into a slogan. These are the usual misreads. Unicode-3.0 is a grant with conditions, not a permission to skip the paperwork below.
- the Unicode License v3 does not require you to publish your own source. Combining it with closed code is the point of the grant.
- the Unicode License v3 does not mean "no obligations." The copyright line and license text still have to travel with copies you hand to other people.
- It is not a patent license unless the text says so. MIT-family grants say nothing about patents.
How Unicode-3.0 differs from nearby licenses
These licenses are often confused with Unicode-3.0, but their release duties differ. Each row summarizes what the license requires when you ship. Open the linked page for the full checklist.
- Unicode-3.0
- The license on Unicode data, ICU and CLDR. Permissive: carry the Unicode copyright and permission notice with every copy you distribute.
- MIT
- MIT lets you ship the code inside a closed, paid product. The one condition is that the copyright line and license text travel with every copy.
- Apache-2.0
- Permissive like MIT, plus an express patent grant. The catch is the NOTICE file: it has to travel inside the binaries you ship.
- OFL-1.1
- The license for fonts, not code. Free to embed and change, with rules about selling fonts alone and renaming changed fonts that carry a Reserved Font Name.
Common questions about Unicode License v3
Answers to common questions about what Unicode License v3 requires, when its duties apply, and what evidence belongs with a release.
What is the Unicode License v3?
Unicode-3.0 is the current license for Unicode Consortium data files and software, replacing the older Unicode-DFS-2015 and Unicode-DFS-2016 terms. It covers the tables and code behind ICU, CLDR and most internationalization stacks. That is why it appears in Rust, Java and JavaScript projects that never touch Unicode directly. You may use it commercially, modify the data, embed it in a closed product and redistribute it. The condition is that the Unicode copyright notice and permission notice travel with every copy, including in the documentation that accompanies a distribution.
What does Unicode-3.0 require when you ship a product?
You are meeting the terms when the Unicode copyright and permission notice appear with every copy of the data files or software that you distribute. You are meeting the terms for a binary that carries ICU or CLDR data when the notice ships inside it. The licenses file or about screen is the place. You are done for a hosted service that never hands out the data files, beyond recording the component with its license text. You have handled an expression such as (MIT OR Apache-2.0) AND Unicode-3.0 when you record the arm you chose and keep Unicode-3.0 alongside it. Your duties do not change when you modify the data, and you may not use the Unicode name to advertise or promote your product without written permission.
Does Unicode-3.0 require me to open my own source?
It is not a patent license unless the text says so. MIT-family grants say nothing about patents.
How do I attribute Unicode-3.0 in a product I ship?
Attribution for Unicode-3.0 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 Unicode-3.0?
No. Unicode-3.0 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 Unicode-3.0 dependencies count?
Yes. The condition follows the code, not the package you chose by name. If the lockfile pulled in Unicode-3.0 transitively and you distribute that tree, those notices travel too. Listing only direct dependencies is how teams miss the duty.
How is Unicode-3.0 different from MIT License?
Unicode-3.0 asks this: The license on Unicode data, ICU and CLDR. Permissive: carry the Unicode copyright and permission notice with every copy you distribute. MIT License asks this: MIT lets you ship the code inside a closed, paid product. The one condition is that the copyright line and license text travel with every copy. Open the MIT 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 Unicode-3.0 for a buyer?
SourceTrust lets you elect one arm of a plain OR expression. An AND expression is not an election. Every part binds at once, so the component stops for a person to read instead of resolving to one license. Unicode-3.0 is a notice license in the catalog, so text is needed before the component counts as live on your page. Auto-fetch extracts the license file from the published artifact and fills it in when it matches the declared id.
Where do I record Unicode-3.0 for a buyer?
SourceTrust lets you elect one arm of a plain OR expression. An AND expression is not an election.
Every part binds at once, so the component stops for a person to read instead of resolving to one license. Unicode-3.0 is a notice license in the catalog, so text is needed before the component counts as live on your page.
Auto-fetch extracts the license file from the published artifact and fills it in when it matches the declared id. Read /docs/reviewing-component.
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.