Python licences are not copyleft
Catalog row in Vendor License Rules · Cited
- Kind
- Use rights
- Statement
- History and License note: all Python licences, unlike the GPL, allow a modified version to be distributed without making the changes open source. No source-code offer, licence-inheritance or linking condition applies to software that embeds, links to or is written in Python. (page undated; as published on 2026-09-27)
- Applies when
- Assessing whether shipping a modified or embedded CPython creates source-disclosure obligations.
- Applies to
- All Python releases (PSF, BeOpen, CNRI and CWI licences).