What is a commercial model license, and do I need one?

FAQ
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What is a commercial model license, and do I need one?

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Computer vision models, like all software, are distributed under licenses which dictate how that model may be used. Some models have restrictive licensing which makes them difficult or impossible to use in a commercial context.

Take the AGPL-3.0 license as an example. Many popular models like YOLOv8 and YOLOv11 are distributed under this license. AGPL-3.0 requires the user to open-source any code changes they make (including the code of any other projects that connect directly to the model). While this structure often works for hobby and research projects, it may not be a great fit for commercial use.

For businesses, the default way to use a model distributed under AGPL-3.0 (or similar restrictive) licenses is to purchase a commercial license. A commercial license is a separate license which gives end users the right to use the model without an obligation to open-source related code changes.

Commercial licenses are needed in cases where:

  1. A model with restrictive licensing is the best technical solution, and;
  2. You are commercially unwilling or legally unable to open-source related code.

Commercial licenses are not needed in cases where:

  1. A model with permissible licensing (like MIT or Apache 2.0) is the best technical solution, or;
  2. You are willing and able to open-source your code.