When comparing BSD-2-Clause Plus Patent License vs GPLv2, the Slant community recommends GPLv2 for most people. In the question“What are the best open-source licenses?” GPLv2 is ranked 7th while BSD-2-Clause Plus Patent License is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose GPLv2 is:
Ensures that the software and its derivatives remain licensed under the same license to keep the software free and open source.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Protects the author
The author of the software avoids any risk for how the software may be used by others.
Pro Simple
Simple to understand and follow
Pro GPL2 Compatible
Compatible with the GPL2 License
Pro Permissive License
Code can easily be included in other projects
Pro Ensures that derivitave works are also protected by copyleft
Ensures that the software and its derivatives remain licensed under the same license to keep the software free and open source.
Pro Guarantees that all changes are given back
Pro Ensures that the software does not become proprietary
Cons
Con Permissive/ Pushover License
Code can be used in closed source products
Con Liability
The original author is not to be held liable for any claim or damages caused by the software.
Con No warranty
The software comes with no warranty.
Con Cannot be linked with other licenses
Software licensed under the GNU GPLv2 is incompatible with all other licenses, with the exception of GPLv3 in most cases. This means that code from a GPLv2 program cannot be combined with code under another license in the same program.
Con Long and complicated
The license is very long and complicated, making it hard to read and comprehend. However, there is a simplified version available here.