Esoteric Software Licenses (and anti-licenses)

💻 software

I have a burgeoning fascination with esoteric software licensing. Why? It’s mostly unenforceable anyways, it’s truly interesting to see how people attempt to control (or, not control) the way in which people use their open-source software… and therefore, try to control their own impact on the world.

Note (for employers and similar): I do not advocate any of the positions, worldviews, nor curse words contained on this page. Merely cataloguing them for my own interests.

My list of licenses (with excerpts)

YOLO

THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE IS PROVIDED “ALL CAPS” SO THAT YOU KNOW IT IS SUPER SERIOUS AND YOU DON’T MESS AROUND WITH COPYRIGHT LAW

don’t ask

Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification, are permitted in any medium provided you do not contact the author about the file or any problems you are having with the file

fuck around and find out

the software shall be used for Good, not Evil. the original author of the software retains the sole and exclusive right to determine which uses are Good and which uses are Evil.

friends and lovers

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any FRIEND OR LOVER…

schrodinger

The licensed material may not be observed. The licensed material may not simultaneously be observed and not observed.

antilicense

I do not give anyone permissions to use this tool for any purpose. Don’t use it.

antilicense 2

This code may not be used for any purpose. Be gay, do crime.

antilicense 3

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge to any person obtaining a copy of this software, to realize that intellectual property claims are fundamentally unenforcable, especially if the rights holder doesn’t want to enforce them. Why would you waste your time thinking about this, don’t you have better things to be doing? And if you are worried about getting the money you need to feed your family, this text file won’t honestly do much to help you there.

be gay do crimes

to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: Be Gay Do Crimes

video license

No excerpt necessary.

fight club license

You do not talk about the FIGHT CLUB LICENSE.

If this is your first time reading the FIGHT CLUB LICENSE, you HAVE to license your next project under the FIGHT CLUB LICENSE.

bantown

You may do whatever the fuck you please with the Content provided you commit in the use of the Content at least three violations of any the following parts of the United States Criminal Code:

And lastly, the bad-licenses repo and also another compilation list

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