The short answer
Licenses can impose conditions on modification and distribution. Identify the license and third-party components before use, and obtain qualified advice for material uncertainty.
Try it in three steps
- Find LICENSE and dependency notices.
- Distinguish internal use from distribution.
- Read obligations in the original license rather than relying solely on a summary.
A practice prompt
Before you start
Locate relevant documents without making a legal determination for a real project.
Practice material (fictional)
A practice repository has source and README but no visible LICENSE. Intended use is modified software distribution.Replace placeholders in the prompt with this material, or append the material if there are no placeholders. Reading time excludes doing the exercise.
Locate the license and clauses requiring review without guaranteeing legality or treating no license as unrestricted use.What to look for (not a recorded test result)
Flag missing permission and seek the rights holder's terms. Visible code is not unrestricted distribution permission; actual obligations need license-specific review.
If it goes wrong
If no license is present, ask the rights holder rather than assuming permission.
Check your result
You retain the original license and intended use, with unresolved obligations identified.
References and scope
The links below support the concepts or product navigation. The steps and exercises are our teaching suggestions, not official certification or measured customer outcomes. Product interfaces and availability may change. References checked on 2026-10-17.