Understand the Gemma 4 Apache 2.0 license
getting started
// what it does
Gemma 4 ships under Apache 2.0, a permissive OSI license that allows commercial use, redistribution, and derivative models with only attribution and license-notice requirements. This is a change from Gemma 1 through 3, which used Google's custom Gemma Terms of Use with a use-restriction policy. Weights download free from Hugging Face, Kaggle, and Ollama, and there is no API cost because you run them yourself.
// gotcha
Because Gemma 4 is Apache 2.0, there is no longer a Gemma Prohibited Use Policy attached to the weights the way earlier releases had — but standard Apache obligations (attribution, preserving NOTICE files) still apply when you redistribute or ship a fine-tune.