Packaging Licenses and Attribution: Building Responsible ZIP Archives
Licensing doesn’t stop at your source code—it travels with your ZIP. This article explains how to bundle licenses, notices, and attribution so your archives are legally sound, clear for recipients, and easy to audit. Learn what to include, how to organize it, and simple habits that keep compliance painless.
Why licensing inside archives matters
A ZIP is more than a container of files—it’s a distribution unit. If it includes open-source libraries, fonts, stock images, or audio, the license obligations travel with the package. Many licenses require that recipients receive a copy of terms (MIT, Apache 2.0), notice of third-party components (BSD, Apache), or an offer to provide source code (GPL family). Failing to include these materials can create friction for downstream users, delay approvals, or expose projects to compliance issues. Conversely, a well-documented archive signals professionalism, speeds vendor reviews, and helps teams reuse your work confidently.
What to include: a practical compliance bundle
Include a top-level LICENSE file that contains your project’s primary license. Add a NOTICE file for third-party acknowledgments and any required attribution statements. If you ship third-party assets (libraries, fonts, icons, photos, audio), include a THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES or ATTRIBUTIONS file that lists each asset, its source, license type, and any usage restrictions. For copyleft components, add instructions for obtaining source code, or include a SOURCE or CODE-AVAILABILITY file describing how to access it. Prefer plain text files for broad compatibility. Keep names consistent (LICENSE, NOTICE, THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES) and place them at the root of the ZIP so recipients can find them immediately. With WC ZIP, you can drag in these files during packaging or update them before re-compressing without installing extra tools.
Managing third‑party assets responsibly
Track every external component and asset as you add it: note the name, version, origin URL, license, and any attribution text. Avoid mixing assets with incompatible terms (for example, certain stock licenses prohibit redistribution), and verify that your use—commercial, editorial, or internal—matches what the license allows. Where attribution is required, include it in your NOTICE or ATTRIBUTIONS file rather than embedding it in images or code comments that might be stripped during builds. If your workflow pulls dependencies automatically, generate a dependency report and convert it into a readable notice file before you zip. For creative bundles (fonts, icons, photos), keep an assets/ directory with subfolders per source and drop the license files provided by the authors alongside the media, then summarize them in your top-level notice.
Sharing and auditing your ZIP
Before you distribute an archive, open it and confirm that all compliance documents sit at the top level, are readable, and reflect the exact contents. If you maintain versions, add a simple changelog noting license-relevant changes (added or removed components, license updates). For teams, designate an archive checklist that includes verifying third‑party entries, attribution lines, and any source‑availability obligations. Keep a separate compliance record outside the ZIP—such as a spreadsheet or JSON manifest—so you can quickly regenerate notices if the archive changes. WC ZIP makes spot checks easy in the browser: open an archive, preview text files, swap in updated notices, and repack without leaving your workspace.