diff --git a/tools/lib/api/fd/array.c b/tools/lib/api/fd/array.c
index b0a035fc87b3..58d44d5eee31 100644
--- a/tools/lib/api/fd/array.c
+++ b/tools/lib/api/fd/array.c
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * Copyright (C) 2014, Red Hat Inc, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@redhat.com>
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 #include "array.h"
 #include <errno.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-kallsyms.c b/tools/perf/builtin-kallsyms.c
index bc7a2bc7aed7..c1a44671b0b5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-kallsyms.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-kallsyms.c
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * builtin-kallsyms.c
  *
  * Builtin command: Look for a symbol in the running kernel and its modules
  *
  * Copyright (C) 2017, Red Hat Inc, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@redhat.com>
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #include "builtin.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
index 24b8e690fb69..1ae66f09dc7d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * builtin-stat.c
  *
@@ -37,8 +38,6 @@
  *   Mike Galbraith <efault@gmx.de>
  *   Paul Mackerras <paulus@samba.org>
  *   Jaswinder Singh Rajput <jaswinder@kernel.org>
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 
 #include "perf.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index fbbb0da43abb..466621cd1017 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * builtin-top.c
  *
@@ -14,8 +15,6 @@
  *   Wu Fengguang <fengguang.wu@intel.com>
  *   Mike Galbraith <efault@gmx.de>
  *   Paul Mackerras <paulus@samba.org>
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 #include "builtin.h"
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index f5b3a1e9c1dd..52fadc858ef0 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * builtin-trace.c
  *
@@ -12,8 +13,6 @@
  * Initially based on the 'trace' prototype by Thomas Gleixner:
  *
  * http://lwn.net/Articles/415728/ ("Announcing a new utility: 'trace'")
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 
 #include <traceevent/event-parse.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/annotate.c b/tools/perf/util/annotate.c
index 0b8573fd9b05..79db038b56f2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/annotate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/annotate.c
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * Copyright (C) 2011, Red Hat Inc, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@redhat.com>
  *
  * Parts came from builtin-annotate.c, see those files for further
  * copyright notes.
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 
 #include <errno.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c b/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
index 9097543a818b..b79e1d6839ed 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * CTF writing support via babeltrace.
  *
  * Copyright (C) 2014, Jiri Olsa <jolsa@redhat.com>
  * Copyright (C) 2014, Sebastian Andrzej Siewior <bigeasy@linutronix.de>
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 
 #include <errno.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 69d0fa8ab16f..a474ede17cd6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * Copyright (C) 2011, Red Hat Inc, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@redhat.com>
  *
  * Parts came from builtin-{top,stat,record}.c, see those files for further
  * copyright notes.
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 #include "util.h"
 #include <api/fs/fs.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index a6f572a40deb..4a5947625c5c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * Copyright (C) 2011, Red Hat Inc, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@redhat.com>
  *
  * Parts came from builtin-{top,stat,record}.c, see those files for further
  * copyright notes.
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 
 #include <byteswap.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/genelf.c b/tools/perf/util/genelf.c
index aafbe54fd3fa..7001247ebbd6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/genelf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/genelf.c
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * genelf.c
  * Copyright (C) 2014, Google, Inc
  *
  * Contributed by:
  * 	Stephane Eranian <eranian@gmail.com>
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 
 #include <sys/types.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/mmap.c b/tools/perf/util/mmap.c
index 868c0b0e909c..768c632b0d82 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/mmap.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/mmap.c
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * Copyright (C) 2011-2017, Red Hat Inc, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@redhat.com>
  *
  * Parts came from evlist.c builtin-{top,stat,record}.c, see those files for further
  * copyright notes.
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 
 #include <sys/mman.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/top.c b/tools/perf/util/top.c
index 4c8da8c4435f..251bbf124fb0 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/top.c
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
 /*
  * Copyright (C) 2011, Red Hat Inc, Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo <acme@redhat.com>
  *
  * Refactored from builtin-top.c, see that files for further copyright notes.
- *
- * Released under the GPL v2. (and only v2, not any later version)
  */
 
 #include "cpumap.h"