Decoding the Six Most Common SPDX Icon Licenses
Most open-source icon sets use standardized SPDX identifiers documented on the SVG Nexus license reference page. Here is how their practical obligations differ for web and app teams (note: this overview is practical engineering guidance, not formal legal advice—always read the upstream license file for your specific distribution model):
| SPDX Identifier | Commercial Use? | Modify / Recolor? | Core Condition to Respect |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC0-1.0 (Public Domain) | Allowed | Allowed | Credit is welcome/optional; no attribution required by the license. |
| MIT / ISC | Allowed | Allowed | Preserve the copyright & permission notice in copies/bundle notices. |
| Apache-2.0 | Allowed (with patent grant) | Allowed | Keep LICENSE/NOTICE text and note significant modifications in redistributed archives. |
| CC-BY-4.0 | Allowed | Allowed | Give visible creator credit, link the license, and indicate if modified. |
| CC-BY-SA-4.0 | Allowed | ShareAlike | Credit creator AND release adapted icon packs/derivatives under CC BY-SA 4.0. |
| CC-BY-ND-4.0 / GPL | Check carefully | Restricted / Copyleft | ND forbids sharing modified derivatives; GPL applies strong copyleft. |
Why Company Logos Carry Two Separate Rules (Copyright vs Trademark)
Developers are often surprised to see brand logo repositories distributed under CC0-1.0 or MIT. That open-source license covers only the contributors' vector drawing file—it never grants you a trademark license from Apple, Stripe, GitHub, or Google! Always follow the brand owner's trademark guidelines, use logos strictly for accurate referential identification (such as OAuth login buttons), and never alter a third-party brand mark into your own app's logo.
Three-Step Pre-Ship License Verification Habit
- Open the exact icon detail page on SVG Nexus and read its recorded Library, Author, and SPDX badge.
- Click the linked
/icon-library-notices/{library}/LICENSE.txtfile and copy its notice into your project's third-party credits. - Filter out
CC-BY-NDorGPLentries if your legal team restricts copyleft or no-derivatives assets in proprietary builds.