Idea: The Apache pledge (dead company code auto converts to Apache license)

5 points by timclemans206 9y ago ↗ HN

With the sudden death of RethinkDB http://sagemath.blogspot.com/2016/10/rethinkdb-must-relicense-now-what-is.html I got to thinking why not have all companies, not just open source ones, auto relicense their code to Apache license when they die?

3 comments

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flukus 9y ago ↗

Qt/Trolltech used to have an agreement that if no free/OS version was released for 12 months then it would fall under a BSD license:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_(software)#Becoming_Free_So...

Why apache though? Isn't that name associated with enough dead products?

timclemans206 9y ago ↗

Something liberal like Apache/BSD/MIT

tinco 9y ago ↗

When a company dies (i.e. goes bankrupt) the trustee is authorised to immediately sever all licences and contracts. This means it's not possible to have any 'on bankruptcy' triggers. Even if you could have such a trigger, all licences will be void so it's no use anyway.

I think in general open source licences where a company is the copyright holder are a bit dodgy. I wonder if it's ever come up in court. (IANAL, I learned some of this stuff as my company who sells OSS had to figure out contingency for an enterprise customer)