9 notes in this chapter

Legal and Compliance for Tech MOC

9 terms across 4 categories. Nothing here appears anywhere else in the vault — this is the layer that decides what you’re actually allowed to build, ship, and depend on.

Software Licenses

• MIT License
• GPL License
• Apache License 2.0

Data Privacy Law

• GDPR
• CCPA

Compliance Standards

• SOC 2
• HIPAA

Legal Basics

• Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
• Software Patents and Intellectual Property

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How to use this

Check the licenses section before adding any dependency to a commercial project. Check the privacy law and compliance sections before your product touches real user data, especially health or EU/California data — retrofitting compliance after launch is far more expensive than building it in from the start.

Suggested order if starting from zero

1. MIT License → GPL License → Apache License 2.0 — you already depend on dozens of licensed packages whether you’ve read this or not
2. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy — the first legal documents any real product needs
3. GDPR → CCPA — the two privacy laws with the broadest practical reach
4. SOC 2 → HIPAA — once you’re selling to enterprises or touching health data
5. Software Patents and Intellectual Property — background knowledge, useful but rarely urgent