License

25. License

KESE is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 3 or later (SPDX GPL-3.0-or-later). The repository's LICENSE and NOTICE.md files are the authority; this page summarises them.

25.1 Why The GPL

KESE includes material derived from KiCad, which is licensed under the GPL:

• the default stroke font, kese/assets/fonts/kicad_newstroke.json.gz, converted from KiCad's "newstroke" font (GPL v2 or later; its CJK glyphs come from Adobe's Source Han Sans under an MIT-style notice and the SIL Open Font License 1.1), and
• the text layout in kese/core/font.py, which follows KiCad's stroke-font text code (GPL v2 or later).

Work derived from GPL code has to stay under the GPL, with the original copyright notices kept. KiCad's original copyright headers and its AUTHORS.txt are kept word for word in the repository's licenses/ folder, listed in NOTICE.md and LICENSE_fonts.txt.

25.2 What You May Do

You May	As Long As
Run KESE for any purpose, including commercial work	Nothing; running it needs no permission
Study and change the source code	Changed versions you distribute are also GPL-3.0-or-later, with their source
Share copies, modified or not	Recipients get the same rights and the full source

The GPL covers the program. The 3D models KESE writes from your own board are generally not covered by it, in the same way a document printed by a GPL program is not.

25.3 Contributing

Contributions are accepted under the same license, GPL-3.0-or-later; you keep the copyright in your contribution. If it includes someone else's work, say where it comes from and keep its notice. See CONTRIBUTING.md.

25.4 No Warranty

KESE is provided as is, without any warranty; see sections 15 and 16 of the GPL. The models have not yet been validated against measured boards; see Immediate Next Steps.

Previous	Next
Future Upgrades And Planning