There's a difference between copyright and license. Under US intellectual property law, it is possible to release software for zero dollars, but retain IP inte

There's a difference between copyright and license. Under US intellectual property law, it is possible to release software for zero dollars, but retain IP interests. This is why you'll see a LICENSE file in the source code for most open source projects. It contains a legal contract explaining the users rights to use the software. What you're probably thinking of is "Public Domain." That's where a creator disclaims most (though not all) rights to the creation.