Nokia is transitioning Symbian away from the open source software model and will distribute it under more restrictive terms going forward. The source code is still available for download, but it’s only available to approved persons and it’s under a new license that pretty obviously doesn’t match the open source criteria.

Groklaw used a blog post to give Nokia a much-deserved beating for characterizing the code availability as “open,” prompting the handset maker to issue an official clarification. Nokia says that Symbian is no longer open source, just “open for business.” The definition of “open” in the mobile space is apparently completely different than it is everywhere else in the software industry. Nokia says that the new model will simplify matters for the few remaining Japanese OEMs that are still using the platform. This is likely a reference to Fujitsu, which still uses Symbian on feature phones.

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Nokia transitions Symbian source to non-open license