Menu
DecoderBuildMarketSubmit a coreDocsPricingSign inFounders
Market license guide

Choose a license that matches the core business model

Free/open cores should use familiar open licenses. Paid Build usage needs reviewed source-available commercial terms because the code remains public in GitHub.

Submit coreBack to Market
Paid usage

Public source does not mean free product use

Paid cores use a source-available commercial license. Paid core usage is recorded when a paid Build export or private Build job includes the core version.Creator share is 80% after platform fee.

Compatibility docs
From the submit wizard

The submit wizard ranks the eight templates after four short questions (commercial use, copyleft, patent grant, paid monetization). Use the anchors below to deep-link a recommendation back to this comparison.

  • MIT - Simple permissive license with minimal conditions.
  • Apache-2.0 - Permissive open-source license with explicit patent terms.
  • BSD-3-Clause - Permissive license with a non-endorsement clause.
  • MPL-2.0 - File-level copyleft that keeps modified files shareable without infecting the whole design.
  • CERN-OHL-P-2.0 - Hardware-oriented permissive license for source, documentation and design files.
  • CERN-OHL-S-2.0 - Hardware-oriented reciprocal license for designs that should remain share-alike.
  • GPL-3.0 - Strong copyleft license; commercial use is allowed, but derivative obligations are broad.
  • ASAL-1.0-COMMERCIAL - Source-visible commercial license for paid Build usage. Code stays in a public GitHub repo, but paid product use requires a paid entitlement.
MITopen source

MIT License

Simple permissive license with minimal conditions.

Commercial use
Allowed
OSI
Approved
Paid listing
Use as free/open
Family
permissive
Useful for
  • Free sample cores
  • Small utilities
  • Education-first releases
Tradeoffs
  • No patent grant
  • Weak reciprocity for contributors
  • Less protection for FPGA-specific patent risk

Good default for free cores, but not enough if you need paid usage control.

Apache-2.0open source

Apache License 2.0

Permissive open-source license with explicit patent terms.

Commercial use
Allowed
OSI
Approved
Paid listing
Use as free/open
Family
permissive
Useful for
  • Free IP cores
  • Company-friendly open releases
  • Reference implementations
Tradeoffs
  • Does not enforce paid use
  • No source-sharing obligation
  • Longer notice requirements than MIT

Use for open/free listings. Do not rely on it for per-use monetization.

BSD-3-Clauseopen source

BSD 3-Clause

Permissive license with a non-endorsement clause.

Commercial use
Allowed
OSI
Approved
Paid listing
Use as free/open
Family
permissive
Useful for
  • Free academic cores
  • Reusable libraries
  • Low-complexity IP blocks
Tradeoffs
  • No patent grant like Apache-2.0
  • No paid-use enforcement
  • Limited contributor reciprocity

Good for free marketplace presence, not for paid Build usage rights.

MPL-2.0open source

Mozilla Public License 2.0

File-level copyleft that keeps modified files shareable without infecting the whole design.

Commercial use
Allowed
OSI
Approved
Paid listing
Use as free/open
Family
weak copyleft
Useful for
  • Free cores where modifications should stay open
  • Shared protocol adapters
  • Community-maintained blocks
Tradeoffs
  • Requires careful source file tracking
  • Some hardware teams may need legal review
  • Not a paid-use license

Explain file-level obligations clearly to Build users.

CERN-OHL-P-2.0hardware license

CERN Open Hardware Licence Permissive 2.0

Hardware-oriented permissive license for source, documentation and design files.

Commercial use
Allowed
OSI
Not OSI
Paid listing
Use as free/open
Family
hardware copyleft
Useful for
  • Free hardware-centric cores
  • Boards plus RTL examples
  • Design documentation bundles
Tradeoffs
  • Less familiar than software licenses
  • Not OSI-approved
  • Still not a paid-use license

Useful for hardware clarity, but keep paid listings on a commercial source-available license.

CERN-OHL-S-2.0hardware license

CERN Open Hardware Licence Strongly Reciprocal 2.0

Hardware-oriented reciprocal license for designs that should remain share-alike.

Commercial use
Allowed
OSI
Not OSI
Paid listing
Use as free/open
Family
hardware copyleft
Useful for
  • Community commons
  • Research cores with share-alike intent
  • Non-proprietary design ecosystems
Tradeoffs
  • Can block proprietary Build outputs
  • Needs careful compatibility review
  • Harder for paid users

Flag clearly because it may be unsuitable for closed commercial products.

GPL-3.0open source

GNU GPL v3

Strong copyleft license; commercial use is allowed, but derivative obligations are broad.

Commercial use
Allowed
OSI
Approved
Paid listing
Use as free/open
Family
strong copyleft
Useful for
  • Open-only cores
  • Research demos
  • Contributor reciprocity is more important than proprietary adoption
Tradeoffs
  • May conflict with proprietary FPGA deliverables
  • Requires legal review in many teams
  • Not suitable for paid-use gating

Do not present as plug-and-play for commercial Build exports.

ASAL-1.0-COMMERCIALpaid use

AccelFury Source Available Commercial

Source-visible commercial license for paid Build usage. Code stays in a public GitHub repo, but paid product use requires a paid entitlement.

Commercial use
Allowed
OSI
Not OSI
Paid listing
Supported
Family
source available
Useful for
  • Paid marketplace cores
  • Creator-owned IP
  • Build-compatible cores with support obligations
Tradeoffs
  • Not open source
  • Needs explicit commercial terms
  • Requires moderation before publication

Publication requires human review of terms, repo contents and af compatibility evidence.