Getting ready to release my first PHP script, how do i create the agreement?

Business
1

Greetings,

So I created a PHP script and several plugins for 3rd party software such as WordPress.

  1. The software is open source, meaning 99% of the files are not encrypted and the source can be viewed…
  2. However there’s 2 encrypted files only, which connect to my licensing system.
  3. For some of the products the encrypted files may contain some of the script functionality which can not be edited.

The products I’m releasing are not free and must be purchased by my clients before they can download the files. Later on I plan on releasing free versions.

I’m not exactly sure where to look or what direction I should be going towards, in figuring out what type of TOS/License to include in the product downloads.

Is there any default templates, services, tutorials, etc… that might assist me on this matter?

Basically I just want something that says the client can only use the software on a specific domain, can’t re-distribute it, etc… Basically the type of agreement that is included when you purchase php scripts such as wordpress plugins or when you buy vbulletin.

Thank you in advance for you any assistance.

2

Agreed, this would require a commercial software license (like what many paid-for scripts use), not an open source listing. Open source indicates by definition that not only can you view the source code, you can effectively redistribute it, build derivative works based upon it and (with few restrictions) do pretty much what you like with it (by the ideal of free as in speech). Calling it open source is not only misleading it’s a violation of the open source ethos (and their licensing). :slight_smile:

3
  1. The software is open source, meaning 99% of the files are not encrypted and the source can be viewed…

this is not what’s generally considered to be open source. When somebody speaks of open source they mean a software that’s licensed using one of the open source licenses out there, e.g. GPL - Sitepoint had a highlighted thread on this just very recently, reading that in full should clarify a few things.

Your case sounds like you don’t want to distribute your application with an open source license, so calling it open source would be highly misleading.