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Helium’s code is open source and distributed under multiple licenses depending on the origin of the code. This page explains the licensing structure and what it means for users and developers.

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Licensing Overview

Helium Original Code

Licensed under GPL-3.0

Imported Code

Retains original licenses (e.g., BSD-3-Clause)

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Helium-Specific Code: GPL-3.0

All code, patches, modified portions of imported code or patches, and any other content that is unique to Helium and not imported from other repositories is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
  • Original Helium features and functionality
  • Modifications to imported code
  • Helium-specific patches
  • Build scripts and tooling unique to Helium
  • Documentation and branding materials

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GPL-3.0 License

The full text of the GPL-3.0 license can be found in the LICENSE file in the Helium repository.
Copyright (C) 2025 The Helium AuthorsThis program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

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Key Points of GPL-3.0

You are free to use Helium for any purpose, personal or commercial, without restrictions.
You have access to the source code and can study how Helium works.
You can modify Helium to suit your needs and distribute your modifications.
You can distribute copies of Helium to help others, with or without modifications.
If you distribute modified versions of Helium, you must:
  • Make the source code available
  • License your modifications under GPL-3.0
  • Preserve copyright notices
No Warranty: Helium is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. See section 15 and 16 of the GPL-3.0 license for details.

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Imported Code: Original Licenses

Any content imported from other projects retains its original license. This ensures compliance with upstream projects and respects their licensing choices.

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ungoogled-chromium: BSD 3-Clause License

Code imported from ungoogled-chromium remains licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License. 
BSD 3-Clause License

Copyright (c) 2015-2026, The ungoogled-chromium Authors
All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
   this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
   this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
   and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
   contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
   this software without specific prior written permission.
Full license: LICENSE.ungoogled_chromium

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The Chromium Project

The Chromium Project code is licensed under a BSD-style license. See chromium.org/developers/licensing for details.

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Other Upstream Projects

Other components and dependencies maintain their respective licenses:
  • Inox patchset - Original license applies
  • Debian patches - GPL and other compatible licenses
  • Bromite patches - GPL-3.0
  • Iridium patches - BSD-style license

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Understanding the Dual Licensing

1

Original Code

Code written specifically for Helium is GPL-3.0 licensed
2

Imported Code

Code from ungoogled-chromium, Chromium, and other projects retains original licenses
3

Modified Imported Code

When Helium modifies imported code, those modifications are GPL-3.0
4

Distribution

The combined work (Helium binary) must comply with GPL-3.0 requirements

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For Users

What this means for you:
  • You can use Helium freely for any purpose
  • You have access to all source code
  • You can verify what Helium does and doesn’t do
  • No telemetry or hidden tracking

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For Developers

What this means for developers:
  • You can fork and modify Helium
  • You must license your fork under GPL-3.0
  • You must provide source code with distributions
  • Respect upstream project licenses for imported code
  • Contribute improvements back to the community

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Beta Software Notice

Helium is currently in beta. Unexpected issues may occur. We are not responsible for any damage caused by usage of beta software. Use at your own risk.

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License Files

All license files are available in the Helium repository:

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Questions?

If you have questions about licensing or need clarification:

View Full Licenses

Access all license files in the Helium repository

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