License Information

Understanding the licensing terms for Emotion-LLaMA and its components.

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Code License (BSD 3-Clause)
    1. BSD 3-Clause License
  3. MiniGPT-4 License
    1. What This Means
  4. MERR Dataset License (EULA)
    1. Key Restrictions
    2. Usage Guidelines
  5. Model Weights License
    1. Restrictions
    2. Base Model Licenses
      1. LLaMA-2
      2. HuBERT, EVA, MAE, VideoMAE
  6. Documentation License (CC BY-NC 4.0)
    1. What You Can Do
    2. Conditions
  7. Commercial Use
    1. Academic and Research Use
    2. Commercial Applications
  8. Third-Party Components
    1. Compliance
  9. Attribution Requirements
    1. For Code
    2. For Papers
    3. For Datasets
    4. For Models
  10. Liability and Warranty
    1. Disclaimer
    2. User Responsibility
  11. Frequently Asked Questions
    1. Can I use Emotion-LLaMA in my company?
    2. Can I modify the code?
    3. Can I share the MERR dataset with colleagues?
    4. Can I use this for a startup?
    5. Can I deploy a public demo?
  12. Ethical Considerations
    1. Responsible Use
    2. Prohibited Uses
  13. Updates and Changes
  14. Contact for Licensing
  15. Summary
  16. Next Steps

Overview

Emotion-LLaMA is released under multiple licenses depending on the component:

  • Code: BSD 3-Clause License
  • Model Weights: Research-only license
  • MERR Dataset: EULA for research purposes only
  • Documentation: CC BY-NC 4.0

Code License (BSD 3-Clause)

The Emotion-LLaMA codebase is licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License.

BSD 3-Clause License 

Copyright (c) 2024, Emotion-LLaMA Contributors
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.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

Full License: LICENSE.md

MiniGPT-4 License

Emotion-LLaMA is based on MiniGPT-4, which is also under the BSD 3-Clause License.

What This Means

  • ✅ You can use, modify, and distribute the code
  • ✅ You can use it for commercial purposes
  • ✅ You must include the license and copyright notice
  • ❌ No warranty or liability from the authors

Full License: LICENSE_MiniGPT4.md

MERR Dataset License (EULA)

The MERR dataset is based on MER2023 and is licensed under an End User License Agreement (EULA) for research purposes only.

Key Restrictions

  • ✅ Research use: Academic and non-commercial research
  • ❌ Commercial use: Not permitted without explicit permission
  • ❌ Redistribution: Cannot redistribute the raw videos
  • ✅ Annotations: Can share annotation files with proper citation

Usage Guidelines

  1. Apply for Access: Request dataset access from MER Challenge
  2. Acknowledge Source: Cite both Emotion-LLaMA and MER2023
  3. Research Only: Do not use for commercial applications
  4. No Redistribution: Do not share raw video files

Full License: LICENSE_EULA.md

Model Weights License

Pre-trained model weights for Emotion-LLaMA are released for research purposes only.

Restrictions

  • ✅ Academic research and education
  • ✅ Non-commercial applications
  • ❌ Commercial deployment without permission
  • ❌ Redistribution on other platforms

Base Model Licenses

Emotion-LLaMA uses components with their own licenses:

LLaMA-2

  • License: LLaMA 2 Community License
  • Commercial Use: Permitted under certain conditions
  • Restrictions: See Meta’s license for details

HuBERT, EVA, MAE, VideoMAE

  • Various licenses depending on the specific model
  • Generally permissive for research use
  • Check individual model repositories for commercial use

Documentation License (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This documentation is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

What You Can Do

  • ✅ Share: Copy and redistribute the documentation
  • ✅ Adapt: Remix, transform, and build upon the documentation
  • ✅ Attribution: Must give appropriate credit

Conditions

  • 🔒 NonCommercial: Cannot use for commercial purposes
  • 📝 Attribution: Must provide a link to the license and indicate changes

Full License: LICENSE_CC BY-NC 4.0.md

Commercial Use

Academic and Research Use

Emotion-LLaMA is freely available for:

  • Academic research
  • Educational purposes
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Personal learning and experimentation

Commercial Applications

For commercial use, you must:

  1. Review Component Licenses: Check licenses of all components (LLaMA-2, datasets, etc.)
  2. Contact Authors: Discuss commercial licensing
  3. Obtain Permission: Get written permission for commercial deployment
  4. Alternative Datasets: Use commercially-licensed datasets if needed

The MERR dataset is NOT available for commercial use under the current license.

Third-Party Components

Emotion-LLaMA incorporates several third-party components, each with their own licenses:

Component License Use
PyTorch BSD-style Deep learning framework
Transformers Apache 2.0 NLP models
Gradio Apache 2.0 Demo interface
OpenFace Apache 2.0 Face analysis
LLaMA-2 Custom Language model
MER2023 EULA Dataset

Compliance

When using Emotion-LLaMA, ensure you comply with all third-party licenses.

Attribution Requirements

For Code

Include the BSD 3-Clause license text in your distribution.

For Papers

Cite our NeurIPS 2024 paper (see Citation).

For Datasets 

This work uses the MERR dataset from Emotion-LLaMA (Cheng et al., NeurIPS 2024),
which is based on MER2023 dataset. Used for research purposes only under EULA.

For Models 

This application uses Emotion-LLaMA (Cheng et al., NeurIPS 2024), a multimodal
emotion recognition model. Model weights used for research purposes only.

Liability and Warranty

Disclaimer

NO WARRANTY: This software is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. The authors are not liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.

User Responsibility

Users are responsible for:

  • ✅ Ensuring compliance with all licenses
  • ✅ Proper use of the models and datasets
  • ✅ Ethical use of emotion recognition technology
  • ✅ Privacy and data protection compliance

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Emotion-LLaMA in my company?

For research purposes (e.g., R&D, internal testing), yes. For commercial products, you need permission from the authors and must comply with all component licenses, especially the MERR dataset EULA.

Can I modify the code?

Yes, the BSD 3-Clause license allows modifications. You must retain the license notice.

Can I share the MERR dataset with colleagues?

You can share the annotation files with proper citation. You cannot redistribute the raw video files - colleagues must apply for access themselves.

Can I use this for a startup?

You need to:

  1. Use a commercially-licensed dataset (not MERR)
  2. Check LLaMA-2 commercial terms
  3. Contact authors for guidance
  4. Ensure compliance with all component licenses

Can I deploy a public demo?

Non-commercial demos (e.g., research showcase, educational tool) are permitted. Commercial demos (e.g., paid service, revenue-generating app) require permission.

Ethical Considerations

Responsible Use

When using Emotion-LLaMA, consider:

  • Privacy: Respect individuals’ privacy in emotion analysis
  • Consent: Obtain proper consent for analyzing individuals
  • Bias: Be aware of potential biases in emotion recognition
  • Transparency: Be transparent about using AI for emotion detection
  • Fairness: Ensure fair treatment across different demographics

Prohibited Uses

Do NOT use Emotion-LLaMA for:

  • ❌ Surveillance without consent
  • ❌ Discriminatory practices
  • ❌ Manipulative applications
  • ❌ Privacy-invasive systems
  • ❌ Any unethical or illegal purposes

Updates and Changes

Licenses may be updated over time. Always check the latest version:

Contact for Licensing

For licensing questions:

  • General Inquiries: Open a GitHub issue
  • Commercial Licensing: Contact the authors directly
  • Dataset Access: Apply through MER Challenge

Summary

Aspect License Commercial Use
Code BSD 3-Clause ✅ Permitted
Model Weights Research-only ❌ Permission Required
MERR Dataset EULA ❌ Not Permitted
Documentation CC BY-NC 4.0 ❌ Not Permitted

Next Steps