ITPEC IP October 2025 Question 20

Source code can be edited and then redistributed — modifying and redistributing the source is a right an OSS licence grants.

Open Source Software is published with its source code under a licence, such as the GPL or the MIT License, that lets anyone use, study, modify and redistribute it. The conditions of the licence must be followed; the GPL, for example, requires a modified version to be distributed under the same licence with its source.

Answer (a)

Why not others:

• •(b) — OSS fixes no price model; the software may be sold, and support may be free or paid, so charging for maintenance is not a characteristic of OSS
• •(c) — the copyright is not waived; the author keeps it, and that is what makes the licence conditions binding on users
• •(d) — OSS licences normally disclaim any warranty; the software is provided as is, with no guarantee that it operates correctly

Key rule: OSS means licensed freedom to use, modify and redistribute the source, while the copyright stays with the author; it does not mean free of charge, free of copyright or warranted.

Software · AI-written, may contain errors