Open source license

Last updated: May 16, 2026

Executive summary

OpenSCORM is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3 (AGPL v3). This is a copyleft license that protects user freedom while keeping the codebase open. You can self-host OpenSCORM, modify it, and redistribute it — as long as you make your modifications available to your users under the same terms.

The full source is available at github.com/openscorm/scoop.

What is the AGPL v3?

The GNU Affero General Public License v3 is a strong copyleft open-source license maintained by the Free Software Foundation. It grants you the freedom to:

  • Use the software for any purpose
  • Study how the software works and modify it
  • Distribute copies of the original software
  • Distribute copies of your modified versions

In exchange for these freedoms, AGPL v3 requires:

  • Source availability. If you distribute or operate a modified version of the software (including running it as a network service), you must make the corresponding source code available to users of that service.
  • Same license. Modifications must be released under the AGPL v3 as well.
  • Notice. You must preserve copyright notices and license texts in copies and substantial portions of the software.

The “network service” clause is what distinguishes AGPL from the older GPL — it closes the “SaaS loophole” by requiring source disclosure when users interact with the software over a network, not just when they receive a copy of the binary.

Why did we choose AGPL v3?

OpenSCORM is built to be a real alternative to closed-source SCORM hosting platforms. The AGPL v3 protects that intent:

  • It keeps the project genuinely open. Anyone can self-host OpenSCORM. Anyone can audit the code. Anyone can fork it. A vendor cannot take the codebase, run a closed-source fork as a hosted service, and decline to contribute improvements back.
  • It aligns with the customer commitment. When we tell customers OpenSCORM is open source, we mean that hosted users get the same code transparency self-hosted users get. AGPL v3 enforces that promise structurally rather than relying on goodwill.
  • It respects user freedom in a SaaS world. Most SCORM hosting is consumed as a network service. AGPL extends open-source freedoms to network use, which matters for a product whose primary deployment is hosted.

What this means in practice

If you’re a hosted customer

The license is mostly invisible to you. Use OpenSCORM through openscorm.com. We provide the source for the version you’re using, on request and via the GitHub repository.

If you self-host for internal use only

Internal use within your organization doesn’t trigger the source-disclosure requirement. Run it, modify it for your own needs, keep your changes private if you want to.

If you self-host and offer the service to people outside your organization

You’re operating a network service under AGPL v3. You need to make your modified source code available to the users of that service, under the same license.

If you fork the project to build a competing product

You may. You must also publish your source under AGPL v3 and make it available to your users.

A note on the previous license

Earlier OpenSCORM (then known as “Scoop”) was licensed under MIT. We re-licensed to AGPL v3 to better protect the project’s open-source character as we moved to a hosted commercial offering. If you are using a historical MIT-licensed version, that version remains MIT — but all current and future versions are AGPL v3.

Questions

License questions go to the contact page or open an issue on GitHub.

The full license text is in the LICENSE file of the repository.