License Compliance Violations
Using open-source components with incompatible licenses can create legal risks. GPL-licensed dependencies in proprietary software, or mixing incompatible licenses, can result in legal obligations including source code disclosure.
Overview
Open-source software licenses carry legal obligations that organizations must comply with. Using dependencies with GPL, AGPL, or other copyleft licenses in proprietary software can require disclosure of source code. License compliance scanning should be part of the software development lifecycle to identify and manage licensing risks.
Impact
Legal liability, forced source code disclosure, licensing fees, compliance violations.
Remediation
Implement automated license scanning, maintain an approved license list, review dependency licenses before adoption, and consult legal counsel for complex licensing scenarios.
Maintain an approved license list for your organization
Scan all dependencies for license compliance
Generate Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)
Review licenses before adding new dependencies
Implement automated license checks in CI/CD pipelines
Related SuperClue scanner checks
These scanner checks look for signs of License Compliance Violations. What a scan can confirm from outside depends on your application.
Scan a domain you have verified with up to 350 modules, paid in credits.
See how website scanning works