OpenMRS Licensing Moves To MPLv2

Background

In the process of upgrading the software license for OpenMRS, it seems like a good time to review how we got here and why we’re changing our license.  Here’s a brief history of OpenMRS Licensing:

• 2004 – OpenMRS is born as an informal collaboration between Regenstrief & Partners In Health starting with a data model, some code, and loads of experience.  None of us can even spell “open source,” yet we’re academics and go out of our way to work openly.
• 2005 – The OpenMRS platform starts to come together.  As we work openly, more interested parties join.
• 2006 – OpenMRS starts getting deployed
• 2007 – All contributors to the code (just shy of a dozen by then) formally sign over rights to code to the community.  OpenMRS is trademarked.  The OpenMRS Public License 1.0 is born.