Updating the License and Attribution of a GitHub Repository

This short guide explains practical steps to update a repository created from a template so you stay respectful of the original authors and compliant with the license terms.

Keep the original license file

Always keep the original LICENSE file in the repository root. Do not modify the license text itself — that text expresses the legal grant and must remain intact. You can add your own copyright notice in the same file, below the original copyright line(s).

Example (MIT-style):

The MIT License (MIT)

Copyright (c) 2015 @emilybache
Copyright (c) 2026 Iván Fernández

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person...

Acknowledge the original project in README.md

Add an “Acknowledgements” section that links to the original template and credits the author(s). Keep this short and link to the original repository.

Example README snippet:

## Acknowledgements

This repository was created from
the [Gilded Rose Refactoring Kata](https://github.com/emilybache/GildedRose-Refactoring-Kata)
template by [Emily Bache](https://github.com/emilybache). Thank you for the original project and for
making it available under its license.

Apache 2.0: Preserve and update NOTICE according to the original project’s instructions.

Apache requires that NOTICE information be included in distributions where it’s present in the original project.

Creative Commons: Credit the original author and link to the original work

Whenever you are reusing CC licensed works, we recommend that the attribution include the Title, Author, Source, and License.

For example, if you reuse an image from Unsplash, you can credit the photographer and link to the original image and profile:

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

See the Creative Commons Attribution Best Practices for more details.

Practical checklist

• Keep the original LICENSE file in the repository root.
• Append your copyright line(s) below the original copyright notice in LICENSE (do not alter the license text itself).
• Add an “Acknowledgements” section to README.md linking to the template repo.
• If present, preserve and update NOTICE according to the original project’s instructions.
• Add a short note to the first commit or PR message explaining that this repo was created from a template and linking to the original repository.

Disclaimer

This post provides practical guidance and examples, not legal advice. For complex licensing questions or commercial distributions, consult a lawyer or licensing expert.