Apple made the changes in response to developer feedback, including discussion forums such as www.slashdot.org, Bereskin said.

CNN: Apple alters open-source licenses after criticism

Now, Apple can only suspend the developer's rights under the license agreement until the dispute is legally resolved, according to Bereskin.

CNN: Apple alters open-source licenses after criticism

For example, Apple's NetInfo technology is now available on the Linux operating system and Sassafras Software has built AppleTalk networking into its KeyServer product, Bereskin added.

CNN: Apple alters open-source licenses after criticism

Since the open-source release, dubbed Darwin, has been available, there have been more than 160, 000 downloads of source-code components and more than 20, 000 developers have registered on Apple's Darwin Web site, Bereskin said.

CNN: Apple alters open-source licenses after criticism

Apple's goals are to attract more applications to the Macintosh platform, spread the company's technology to other platforms, and improve Apple code by allowing developers to add capabilities and detect bugs, Bereskin said.

CNN: Apple alters open-source licenses after criticism