71% of mobile apps violate open source licenses

OpenLogic conducted a study which found that 71% of Android and iPhone applications developed using open source code violate the terms of the GPL/LGPL and Apache licenses.

The study analyzed 635 applications, 52 of which were distributed under the Apache license and 16 under the GPL/LGPL licenses. For GPL/LGPL licenses, the availability of the source code and a copy of the license text were checked, while for Apache, the availability of a Notice (a document listing all libraries licensed under the license, along with the authors' names) and a copy of the license text were checked.

The results showed that only 29% of apps comply with license terms. This percentage was 32% for iPhone apps and 27% for Android apps. Of all Android apps, not a single one complied with the GPL/LGPL license terms.

Kim Waynes, senior vice president of OpenLogic, believes that most application developers simply don't have a good understanding of the open source code they're using and the licensing requirements.

After completing the research, OpenLogic provided Google with information about applications that violated the licensing terms.