Anti-996 License Compatibility with Other Open Source Licenses: A Complete Guide

The Anti-996 License is compatible with all major open-source licenses—including MIT, Apache 2.0, BSD, and GPL—because its additional obligations (license display and labor-law compliance) are additive rather than restrictive.

The Anti-996 License, maintained in the 996icu/996.ICU repository, extends the permissive MIT License with ethical obligations regarding labor law compliance. Understanding Anti-996 License compatibility is crucial for developers considering dual-licensing strategies or contributing to projects that adopt this license.

What Is the Anti-996 License?

The Anti-996 License is a permissive software license based on the MIT License. According to the LICENSE file in the 996.ICU repository, it grants standard permissions to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and sell software, but adds two specific obligations not found in traditional permissive licenses.

Core Obligations

The license imposes two additive requirements that define its compatibility profile:

1. License-display requirement – Every redistributed or derivative copy must conspicuously display the full Anti-996 license text unchanged (LICENSE#L13-L15). This ensures downstream users are aware of the labor-law obligations.

2. Labor-law compliance clause – The licensor and all downstream users must comply with all applicable labor-related statutes in their jurisdiction (LICENSE#L17-L25). This clause prohibits use of the software by entities violating local labor laws, including excessive working hour regulations.

Because these obligations are additive—they do not remove any rights granted by the underlying MIT-style permission—they do not conflict with the terms of most popular open-source licenses.

Anti-996 License Compatibility with Major Open Source Licenses

The Anti-996 License maintains compatibility with the broader open-source ecosystem because its restrictions are ethical rather than legal barriers to code reuse. Here is how it interacts with specific license families:

MIT License

Both licenses are permissive. The Anti-996 conditions can be satisfied in addition to the MIT conditions, allowing a work to be released under both licenses (dual-license) or under MIT plus Anti-996. The README.md in the 996.ICU repository explicitly states that the license is compatible with all major open-source licenses (README.md#L101-L108).

Apache License 2.0

Apache 2.0 requires preservation of its NOTICE file and grants patent rights. The Anti-996 License adds no patent-related restrictions, so the two sets of obligations can be complied with simultaneously. Projects can include both LICENSE (Apache) and LICENSE_ANTI996 files without conflict.

BSD-3-Clause

The BSD-3-Clause license forbids using the project name for endorsement. The Anti-996 License does not impose a contradictory requirement, allowing them to be combined. The attribution requirements of both licenses can be satisfied concurrently.

GPL v2 and v3

GPL's copyleft forces downstream distributors to provide source code and maintain original license notices. The Anti-996 License's "display license" clause is compatible with this requirement, and its labor-law clause does not contradict GPL's terms. Consequently, a GPL-licensed project may add the Anti-996 text as an additional license file and satisfy both sets of conditions. The awesomelist/README.md demonstrates this pattern by listing projects that carry both GPL-3.0 and Anti-996 licenses (awesomelist/README.md#L172-L173).

LGPL and MPL

Similar to GPL, the extra notice requirement of the Anti-996 License is compatible with the weak-copyleft nature of LGPL and MPL. The labor-law clause does not interfere with the linking or file-level copyleft requirements of these licenses.

Creative Commons Licenses

While CC licenses (CC-BY, CC-BY-SA) are non-software-oriented, they are also permissive. The two extra clauses of the Anti-996 License can be honored alongside CC attribution requirements, making them compatible for documentation or media projects.

Practical Implementation: Dual-Licensing with Anti-996

Implementing dual-licensing requires careful file organization and documentation. Here are practical patterns from the 996.ICU repository:

Adding Anti-996 to an MIT-Licensed Project

Create a separate license file for the Anti-996 text:

# Repository root

├── LICENSE          # MIT licence text

├── LICENSE_ANTI996  # (copy of the Anti‑996 licence file)

└── src/
    └── … 

Update your README.md to clarify the dual-licensing:

# README.md snippet

This project is licensed under both the MIT licence and the Anti‑996 licence.

- MIT licence: [LICENSE](https://github.com/your‑user/your‑repo/blob/main/LICENSE)
- Anti‑996 licence: [LICENSE_ANTI996](https://github.com/your‑user/your‑repo/blob/main/LICENSE_ANTI996)

SPDX Identifier Usage

Since the Anti-996 License is not yet registered with SPDX, use a custom identifier:

SPDX‑License‑Identifier: LicenseRef-Anti996

Add this header to source files:

// SPDX-License-Identifier: LicenseRef-Anti996
// Copyright (c) 2024 Your Name
// License: see LICENSE_ANTI996 for details.

Combining with GPL-3.0

For GPL projects, maintain both license files:

# root of the repository

├── LICENSE          # GPL‑3.0 full text

├── LICENSE_ANTI996  # Anti‑996 licence

└── src/
    └── …

Document the requirements in your README.md:

# README.md excerpt

This software is dual‑licensed:

- GPL‑3.0: [LICENSE](https://github.com/your‑user/your‑repo/blob/main/LICENSE)
- Anti‑996: [LICENSE_ANTI996](https://github.com/your‑user/your‑repo/blob/main/LICENSE_ANTI996)

When redistributing, you must keep **both** licence files and comply with the labour‑law clause of the Anti‑996 licence.

Summary

• The Anti-996 License is a permissive license based on MIT that adds a license-display requirement and a labor-law compliance clause.
• Anti-996 License compatibility extends to all major open-source licenses including MIT, Apache 2.0, BSD-3-Clause, GPL v2/v3, LGPL, MPL, and Creative Commons.
• The license is additive—it does not remove rights granted by other licenses, making dual-licensing practical.
• Implementation requires maintaining separate license files (LICENSE and LICENSE_ANTI996) and updating documentation to reflect both sets of obligations.
• The 996icu/996.ICU repository provides canonical examples in LICENSE, README.md, and awesomelist/README.md.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Anti-996 License compatible with GPL software?

Yes. The Anti-996 License is compatible with GPL v2 and v3 because its requirements are additive. The license-display requirement aligns with GPL's notice preservation rules, and the labor-law clause does not contradict copyleft principles. GPL projects can include the Anti-996 License as an additional file without violating either license's terms.

Can I use the Anti-996 License with Apache 2.0 projects?

Yes. Apache 2.0 requires preservation of NOTICE files and grants patent rights, while the Anti-996 License adds no patent restrictions. The two licenses address different aspects—Apache handles patents and attribution, while Anti-996 handles labor law compliance. Projects can satisfy both simultaneously by maintaining both license files.

How do I properly attribute both MIT and Anti-996 Licenses?

Create two separate files in your repository root: LICENSE containing the MIT text and LICENSE_ANTI996 containing the full Anti-996 text. In your README.md, provide links to both files and state that the project is dual-licensed. When using SPDX identifiers, use LicenseRef-Anti996 for the Anti-996 License since it is not yet in the SPDX registry.

Does the labor-law clause restrict who can use the software?

The labor-law clause requires that the licensor and downstream users comply with applicable labor laws in their jurisdiction, but it does not technically restrict usage in the same way as a non-compete clause. However, entities violating local labor laws (such as those mandating excessive working hours) would be in breach of the license terms. This clause is designed to be compatible with other license obligations while adding an ethical requirement for lawful labor practices.

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  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
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}