Yes — but the combined work must be released under the more restrictive license.
Common Development and Distribution License 1.0 is a file-level (or library-level) copyleft license. You can include Common Development and Distribution License 1.0 files in a zlib License project; the Common Development and Distribution License 1.0 files retain their copyleft obligation (changes must be released), while the project at large can stay zlib License. Keep file boundaries clear.
| License | Family | Patent grant |
|---|---|---|
| Common Development and Distribution License 1.0 (CDDL-1.0) | weak-copyleft | Yes |
| zlib License (Zlib) | permissive | No (implicit at most) |
Common Development and Distribution License 1.0: File-level copyleft, similar in spirit to MPL.
zlib License: Permissive, with a misrepresentation-of-origin clause.
If you found this page because you're trying to figure out whether shipping a particular dependency is safe, the answer above is a starting point — not a substitute for reading the actual licenses or talking to a lawyer when stakes are high.
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