If you do not create games/applications for the Zune and have no intention to, you may safely ignore this
(except as your curiosity demands)
Why is this policy being introduced?
At the time of this writing, most games are released without a formal license. This means that licensing tends to be ambiguous or arbitrary, and conflict ensues when bundles are assembled, games are converted to new versions of XNA, or skins are created. It doesn't have to be this way. Due to this, a new policy is being put in place that requires that games be specifically designated as being released under a particular license. Additionally, the primary games download forums are being restricted to games released under open-source licenses, which make it possible for the source to live on without entirely taking control away from the author. This guide is a primer to the new guidelines that will attempt to simplify the process of compliance.
The word "game" in this document includes any XNA program for the Zune, including utility applications.
How are games classified?
All games are placed into one of three categories:
- Open source. This category includes all games released under a license compliant with the Open Source Initiative's Open Source Definition. These licenses include the GPL, the BSD license, the LGPL, the MIT license, and the Microsoft Public License (MS-PL), among many others. A full list of licenses certified by the OSI is available at the Open Source Initiative website.
- Closed source. This category includes all games where the source is not publicly available. Games where the source must be requested individually from the author are included in this category. All games released only as .ccgame files are included in this category.
- Source-available. This category includes all games that are neither closed source nor open-source. Most games at the time of this writing fall into this category. Games that are released in source form but are not released under an OSI-approved license are included in this category.
Which forum can I post my game in?
Only games categorized as open source may be posted in the main Download Completed Games or Open-Source Applications subforums. This is intended to encourage release of games using open-source licenses.
Games that are closed source or source-available must be posted in the Restricted Games and Applications subforum, which is inside Download Completed Games. This includes indeterminately licensed games, which by definition cannot be fully
open source. There is an exception:
source-available games last updated before 2009-01-01 are grandfathered in, allowing them to remain where they are now (regardless of whether they are indeterminately licensed).
What happens if my game doesn't have a license?
If you do not specify a license, your game will be designated as
indeterminately licensed. All rights to games that are considered indeterminately licensed are reserved to the author
except for the following implicit rights:
- Indeterminately licensed games may be redistributed without limitation.
- Indeterminately licensed games may be modified for the sole purpose of restoring compatibility with a new version of third-party software (namely XNA Game Studio and/or the Zune software).
Rereleasing an indeterminately licensed game under a proper license will replace these implicit rights with whatever rights are allowed or denied in the license. However, copies of the indeterminately licensed game made before the game is rereleased continue to be subject to the implicit rights listed above, including the right to restore compatibility.
If you release a new game without proper licensing, you may be notified that the game is indeterminately licensed by a ZuneBoards staff member. Until a reply is sent selecting an option to correct the situation, the material will be officially considered indeterminately licensed. Not receiving such a notification does not necessarily indicate that your material is not indeterminately licensed.
How do I pick a license for my game?
Licenses approved by the OSI as open source are greatly preferred over others. The GNU General Public License (GPL) is a popular open-source license that requires those that modify your source code also release it under the GPL as well. This restriction is called copyleft. There is another version of the GPL, the LGPL, which is similar but lacks the copyleft provision. This allows your code to be reused in closed source software without violating the license.
The BSD license is another good choice. The BSD license is shorter than most others and has 3 simple requirements:
- That the license text and your copyright notice not be removed from the source code
- That compiled versions (including .ccgame files) include the license text and your copyright notice somewhere (possibly just as a text file downloaded with the .ccgame)
- That your name not be used to endorse a program derived from your source code
This simplicity is favorable to many.
If you insist on releasing your code as closed source, write a license that is
unambiguous but clear and concise specifying what rights are granted and what rights are not. Note that this is usually not the best option. Additionally, denying the right to modify the code and/or not releasing code at all may result in your game falling into disuse after an XNA and/or Zune update.
How do I put the license into the game?
Include a link to the license in the post for your game. If the link in your post points to a website under your control and does not go straight to a file to download, include a link to the license there as well. Finally, put the text of the license into a text file and include that with the source code version of your game (if applicable).
Make sure that these 3 sources of license information are identical. Failure to ensure this will result in your game being considered indeterminately licensed.
How can I get my questions answered?
Post them right in this thread and hopefully someone will get around to answering them.
Licensing requirements for developers: a primer
