CDDLcovered

CDDLcovered is a descriptive term used in software licensing to indicate that a component, file, or package is licensed under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL). It is not an official status in formal license registries; rather, it functions as a shorthand in documentation, build systems, and license scanning outputs to signal CDDL coverage.

Scope and usage

The label can apply to individual source files, modules, or entire distributions where the licensing terms of the CDDL apply. Files typically indicate CDDL coverage through license headers or accompanying notices that reference CDDL-1.0 or CDDL-1.1. In practice, marking something as CDDLcovered helps downstream users and developers identify the need to comply with the CDDL’s terms when using, modifying, or redistributing the code.

Compliance considerations

The CDDL is a copyleft-style license that requires certain obligations when distributing covered work, including making source code available for modified versions and preserving license notices. When a project combines CDDLcovered components with software under other licenses, license compatibility and redistribution requirements must be carefully managed. The term CDDLcovered is a labeling convention and does not, by itself, alter the legal obligations of the underlying license.

History and context

The CDDL was developed by Sun Microsystems for the OpenSolaris project and has since been used by various open-source and commercial distributions. The term CDDLcovered arose in licensing discussions and tooling as a convenient way to reference CDDL-licensed components without quoting full license texts.

See also

CDDL, SPDX, license compliance, copyleft, license compatibility.