diff --git a/meta/classes/copyleft_compliance.bbclass b/meta/classes/copyleft_compliance.bbclass
index fd04638..6f058e0 100644
--- a/meta/classes/copyleft_compliance.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/copyleft_compliance.bbclass
@@ -46,32 +46,17 @@ def copyleft_should_include(d):
     include = oe.data.typed_value('COPYLEFT_LICENSE_INCLUDE', d)
     exclude = oe.data.typed_value('COPYLEFT_LICENSE_EXCLUDE', d)
 
-    def include_license(license):
-        if any(fnmatch(license, pattern) for pattern in exclude):
-            return False
-        if any(fnmatch(license, pattern) for pattern in include):
-            return True
-        return False
-
-    def choose_licenses(a, b):
-        """Select the left option in an OR if all its licenses are to be included"""
-        if all(include_license(lic) for lic in a):
-            return a
-        else:
-            return b
-
     try:
-        licenses = oe.license.flattened_licenses(d.getVar('LICENSE', True), choose_licenses)
+        is_included, excluded = oe.license.is_included(d.getVar('LICENSE', True), include, exclude)
     except oe.license.InvalidLicense as exc:
         bb.fatal('%s: %s' % (d.getVar('PF', True), exc))
     except SyntaxError as exc:
         bb.warn('%s: error when parsing the LICENSE variable: %s' % (d.getVar('P', True), exc))
     else:
-        excluded = filter(lambda lic: not include_license(lic), licenses)
-        if excluded:
-            return False, 'recipe has excluded licenses: %s' % ', '.join(excluded)
-        else:
+        if is_included:
             return True, None
+        else:
+            return False, 'recipe has excluded licenses: %s' % ', '.join(excluded)
 
 python do_prepare_copyleft_sources () {
     """Populate a tree of the recipe sources and emit patch series files"""
diff --git a/meta/lib/oe/license.py b/meta/lib/oe/license.py
index 7ab66e7..3543cfe 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oe/license.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oe/license.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 import ast
 import re
+from fnmatch import fnmatchcase as fnmatch
 
 class InvalidLicense(StandardError):
     def __init__(self, license):
@@ -60,3 +61,38 @@ def flattened_licenses(licensestr, choose_licenses):
     flatten = FlattenVisitor(choose_licenses)
     flatten.visit_string(licensestr)
     return flatten.licenses
+
+def is_included(licensestr, whitelist=None, blacklist=None):
+    """Given a license string and whitelist and blacklist, determine if the
+    license string matches the whitelist and does not match the blacklist.
+
+    Returns a tuple holding the boolean state and a list of the applicable
+    licenses which were excluded (or None, if the state is True)
+    """
+
+    def include_license(license):
+        return (any(fnmatch(license, pattern) for pattern in whitelist) and not
+                any(fnmatch(license, pattern) for pattern in blacklist))
+
+    def choose_licenses(alpha, beta):
+        """Select the option in an OR which is the 'best' (has the most
+        included licenses)."""
+        alpha_weight = len(filter(include_license, alpha))
+        beta_weight = len(filter(include_license, beta))
+        if alpha_weight > beta_weight:
+            return alpha
+        else:
+            return beta
+
+    if not whitelist:
+        whitelist = ['*']
+
+    if not blacklist:
+        blacklist = []
+
+    licenses = flattened_licenses(licensestr, choose_licenses)
+    excluded = filter(lambda lic: not include_license(lic), licenses)
+    if excluded:
+        return False, excluded
+    else:
+        return True, None
diff --git a/meta/lib/test.py b/meta/lib/test.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12f4d83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meta/lib/test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+import oe.license
+
+print(oe.license.is_included('LGPLv2.1 | GPLv3', ['*'], []))