Code Under Apache
Analysis and simulation code is released under Apache 2.0, a permissive open-source license that also grants an explicit patent license to users.
Why a software license for the code
Content licenses like CC BY are written for prose and data; source code needs a license written for software. Kronos releases its analysis and simulation code under the Apache License 2.0. It is permissive — users may run, modify, and redistribute the code, including in their own products — while adding protections that matter specifically for software.
What Apache 2.0 adds over a bare permissive license
- An explicit patent grant: contributors license any patents their contribution reads on, reducing patent risk for users.
- A patent-retaliation clause: the grant is structured to discourage patent suits over the covered code.
- A clear notice and attribution mechanism via the NOTICE file, keeping provenance intact.
- Compatibility with common downstream licenses, so the code can be combined and reused broadly.
Why the patent grant matters here
A hard-tech company sits close to patentable subject matter. Releasing code under a license with an explicit patent grant tells users they can rely on the code without an ambush later. That is the credible way to let outsiders rerun our pipelines — the reproduction is worthless if using the code is legally hazardous. See reproducible pipelines.
The split with content
Keeping code under Apache and content under CC BY is a deliberate separation, explained in the license-choice rationale. The short version: each artifact gets the license designed for its kind, so both remain genuinely reusable.
Open code that is risky to use is not really open. Apache 2.0 makes using our code safe as well as permitted.