Legal Stuff
This page consolidates information about licenses and legal policies related to the Flex SDK Open Source project. If you still need additional information after reviewing this page, please feel free to ask questions on the Flex SDK General Discussion list. NOTE: The information contained on this page should not be construed as legal advice. Please consult with an attorney.
Licenses of the various Flex SDK packages
There are 2 licenses to consider for the various packages of the Flex SDK.
| Mozilla Public License, version 1.1 (MPL) |
Primarily covers the source code of the Open Source Flex SDK including the Flex framework, the compilers, and the debugger. |
| Adobe Flex SDK license |
Covers elements that Adobe was not able to release under an open source license including the Adobe® Flash® Player, Adobe® AIR™, and other third-party code used by the Flex SDK for specific functions, such as font encoding. |
There are 3 packages related to the Flex SDK, each leveraging one or both of the above licenses.
Free Adobe Flex SDK – An official Adobe product, with released versions found at http://www.adobe.com/go/flex3_sdk. The Adobe Flex SDK contains everything you will need to build and deploy Flex RIAs. It is licensed under the Adobe Flex SDK license because it contains a mixture of open and closed source components (see license info above). The Flex framework source code included in this package is called out explicitly as licensed under the MPL. However, if you want just the open source stuff, you should look at the Open Source Flex SDK.
Open Source Flex SDK – For users who want a package that contains only open source code we offer the Open Source Flex SDK which is available from this site. This package is entirely under the MPL, including its binaries. It contains the majority of the Flex SDK (compilers, framework, debugger) but does not include anything that is not open source like the Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, or the advanced font encoding libraries. This SDK is capable of creating Flex applications and can be used in whatever fashion the MPL allows. If you have questions regarding the use of code licensed under the MPL, you should consult with an attorney.
Adobe Add-ons for Open Source Flex SDK – This package contains all of the items that are in the Adobe Flex SDK and not in the Open Source Flex SDK. Downloading this file will allow you to bring the Open Source Flex SDK to parity with the Adobe Flex SDK. This package includes the Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, the advanced font encoding libraries, and the code that allows licensing of things like the Data Visualization components. All of these elements are licensed under the Adobe Flex SDK license.
Redistribution Policies
Redistribution can occur in many ways, but the two most common are: posting on a web site or including in a product.
The MPL used for the Open Source Flex SDK grants the licensee (you) redistribution rights as long as you comply with the terms of the MPL. If you'd like to redistribute the Free Adobe Flex SDK (the official Adobe package) you need to acquire a special redistribution license through the Adobe. We eventually will have this automated via a web site, but for now you should contact us at (license-flexsdk AT adobe) if interested.
Patent Policy
By releasing the Flex SDK under the MPL 1.1, Adobe is granting certain patent rights to this code. Adobe may seek patents for innovations in the Flex SDK to defend its technologies against patent assertions.
Information for Contributors
We encourage contributions to the Flex SDK. Contributors are required to sign a contributor agreement that grants certain rights to Adobe to include the contributions in Adobe's Flex SDK and other Adobe products. Please view the contributor agreement for full details on the terms and conditions.
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