EUPL is the Open Source license in the sweet spot
Open Source Software has gained immense popularity over the years and the adaptation of OSS in every day life has proven the value of this movement. When APInf got started, we wanted to adhere to this OSS philosophy. Not only does it stick with our personal beliefs and we could contribute back this way. It is also a great business opportunity.
Choosing the best license
we wondered what license aligns best with our mission
At first, APInf was licensed under the popular MIT license. This has served us well and we moved forward with developing a great API management tool.
Recently, we wondered how this license impacts our business and if it was the right choice for us. APInf being a commercial entity, we need to ensure our commercial viability. More importantly, we wondered what license aligns best with our mission.
Learning by open discussion (and inviting an expert)
Not only is our software open, our whole development process is available and transparent. We started the discussion with a Github ticket and invited our team to join in. We got great insights from a legal expert as well and every team member considered pros and cons. We had to accept that not everyone had the same opinion, but all in all, we respect this throughout the whole process.
The wider, real question is how the venture will make money (or finance itself); and in a startup/company setting what is its competitive advantage (CA)
Our main options were
Pros and cons
there is a divide between permissive (or promiscuous) and strong (or Copyleft) licenses
As we soon learned, you first need to decide what is important for your business and how you want to make money. Typically there is a divide between permissive (or promiscuous) and strong (or Copyleft) licenses. Permissive licenses give a big degree of freedom for anyone who wants to use the software. Strong licenses have more restrictions and obligations when using the software (such as contributing changes back to the original project).
The implications are not always clear, so take this simplification as “simple”
Permissive licenses
Pros:
- A vibrant community that can do with the code as pleased. This builds trust and enables faster growth.
- A simple license, no obligations for the users.
Cons:
- A risk of being forked (like LibreOffice or MariaDB). This can lead to fragmentation.
- Investors might not be happy with a permissive license.
Strong licenses
Pros:
- Bigger opportunity to protect your business from forking or competitors.
- Community contributions come back to the source.
Cons:
- More complex license can scare users, which impacts growth.
- More difficult to mix up with other licenses, decreases compatibility with other OS projects.
Decision — EUPL it is!
Finally the decision was made by the board and our CEO to continue with the EUPL license. It offered a sweet spot that will allow us to maintain our strong OS vision, while securing our commercial viability. Even tough it is less known, we are confident it will serve our needs just right. The fact that this license is European just adds a big bonus!
