# ErikMcClure/bad-licenses

A compendium of absurd "open-source" licenses.

Repository: https://github.com/ErikMcClure/bad-licenses
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/bad-licenses
License: Unlicense
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-06-08T21:24:59+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 71/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 86, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3270, "days_push": 86, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2105, forks 75 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:13.858599+00:00)

## What it is
A curated compendium of absurd, humorous, and legally problematic 'open-source' licenses, with summaries and sources for each. It is a satirical reference collection, not usable software.

## Use cases
- find examples of bad open-source licenses
- learn why morality clauses like the JSON License are problematic
- research humorous software licenses like WTFPL
- find examples for a talk about open-source licensing pitfalls
- browse funny licenses like the Hot Potato License

## When to choose
- you want a catalog of joke or flawed licenses with sources
- you are writing or teaching about open-source licensing anti-patterns

## When to avoid
- you need a real, legally sound license for your project
- you need legal advice about license compliance

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: active
- function: documentation
- domain: legal, developer-tools, awesome-lists
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: licenses, humor, open-source-licensing, compendium, unlicense

## Member repositories
- ErikMcClure/bad-licenses (main) score 71

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:13.858599+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:54:01.018212+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ErikMcClure/bad-licenses (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:13.858599+00:00, sha d482b19120b2)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.