Sustainable Use License
LicenseRef-Sustainable-UseSource-available (not OSI)Not an OSI-approved open-source licence
Source-available. Limited to internal business purposes; offering it to customers as a service needs a vendor agreement.
Verify with a lawyer. This is guidance, not legal advice. Check with a lawyer before deciding.
What the licence means per use case
The verdict applies to the licence family (Source-available (not OSI)). An individual product can have its own terms; you get the full per-product analysis when you sign in. Confidence: medium.
| Use case | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| U1 Self-hosted, internal use, unmodified | Conditions apply | Usually OK for internal use, but check thresholds and terms. |
| U2 Self-hosted and modified | Conditions apply | Modifying is usually allowed; check the no-competing-service clause. |
| U3 Novro hosts it for you (single-tenant) | Not allowed without an agreement | A hosted service for others is usually forbidden without a vendor agreement. |
| U4 Shared multi-tenant instance | Not allowed without an agreement | A shared hosted service is usually forbidden. |
| U5 In your cloud, managed by Novro | Conditions apply | Usually OK as the customer's own internal use; check whether management counts as a service. |
| U6 Redistribution (builds, images, appliances) | Not allowed without an agreement | Redistribution is usually forbidden or limited. |
| U7 Commercial use | Conditions apply | Depends on the licence grant. |
| U8 AI acceptable use (AUP, EU AI Act) | Not applicable | Not applicable to this licence type. |
Building on it: what may you do?
Short answers based on the licence, for the version in the catalog.
- B1 Change the code for internal use in your company Yes, with conditions Usually, for internal use. Check the terms.
- B2 Build your own product or service on top and offer it to customers as SaaS No Usually no for a service that competes with the vendor, without an agreement.
- B3 Make a closed-source derivative and sell or distribute it No No, not without an agreement with the vendor.
- B4 Use the project's name and trademark No No, not without permission. The licence covers the code, not the name or logo.
This is guidance, not legal advice. Check with a lawyer before deciding.
Common pitfalls
- Only for internal business purposes or non-commercial/personal use; selling a service built on it needs an agreement.
- Files marked “.ee.” or in enterprise folders are under a different, commercial licence.
- Not open source under the OSI definition. Projects can switch to it in a new version.
- Open core: at least one product under this licence has parts under a different, commercial licence (often an ee/ or enterprise folder). Check that the features you need are not in that part.
The licence text
Last reviewed:
Products in the catalog under LicenseRef-Sustainable-Use
This is guidance, not legal advice. Check with a lawyer before deciding.