∞ /notes/apache-license | 2006-05-17 | programming

Apache License

Cross-posted to: https://fsteeg.wordpress.com/2006/05/17/apache-license/

From a Slashdot discussion:

If You institute patent litigation against any entity (including a cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that the Work or a Contribution incorporated within the Work constitutes direct or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses granted to You under this License for that Work shall terminate as of the date such litigation is filed.

I'm no lawyer, but this seems to be saying that if you sue anyone for breach of patent for something in apache, then you lose your patanet license?

I'm no lawyer either, but the way I read is that there is software in Apache that is covered by patents, but the owners have given people who use Apache a licence to use them. However, if someone decides to sue over one of their patents in Apache, then they lose the licence from the other patent holders, posibly leaving them open to an infringment suit themselves.

In short, is seems to say: you play nice, we'll play nice, and we'll all play with everyone's toys, but if you won't let someone play with your toys, then everyone else will gang up on you and not let you play with any of theirs either.