TL;DR First let me say I’m not a lawyer and only a lawyer can figure out your situation. Image found via Google Images at https://img.rt.com/files/2017.01/original/588cfd87c4618899638b45e4.jpg Update: Facebook is relicensing React, Jest, Flow, and Immutable.js to MIT There has been large upset about Facebook’s BSD+Patents License this is mostly because the language isn’t very clear. Also, keep in mind that Netflix had their lawyers look at it and they feel there is no issue for them. With that said the License issue has been brought back up due to Apache Software Foundation Legal Affairs Committee announcing https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LEGAL-303?focusedCommentId=16088663&page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel#comment-16088663 That Facebook’s BSD+Patents License is no longer allowed to be used as a direct dependency in Apache projects. The reason for this is best described by this comment. I’ll use WordPress as an example. If WordPress adopts React, which they are currently using to build the Gutenberg project which is the planned replacement for the main editor in WordPress, it could have consequences to the entire WordPress ecosystem of commercial WordPress products. Yes, many of these are small businesses. But, many of these have also been acquired by bigger businesses. If WordPress adopts React and that startups product is built on top of WordPress… those bigger businesses could back out of acquisitions because their legal team raises a red flag during due diligence over the React clause. comment-317143085317143085 If Facebook offers an online streaming service then maybe Netflix will change their stance on the License but right now they don’t see an issue. If you plan to start side-project/company/startup with Facebook’s tech: GraphQL React Relay React Native Flow Immutable.js Jest Prepack create-react-app from what I found that’s fine so long as you understand the License and have a migration plan if it becomes an issue. The only reason people are saying to “switch off React” is that you just avoid the situation because it’s an unnecessary risk. Here is an overly simplified breakdown that might help. If you don’t plan to have any patents this is not an issue. If you plan to get acquired by a company they also are fine with the License or migrate before they do due diligence. make sure If you’re outside of the US then patent laws unless you do business in the US. don’t even affect you If do plan to sue Facebook for patent infringement make sure you off of any Facebook’s tech before you do otherwise they can countersue. you migrate Disclaimer Again I’m not a lawyer and this is just what I found on twitter/articles/etc and the only way to know for sure if this affects your company is to ask your lawyer. Free feel to tweet me at for more questions or anything else I should include in this article. @gdi2290 Open-source frameworks without a Patents License Most frameworks are MIT which allows you to pretty much do anything you want. Over 75+ popular Open Source projects (6000+ stars and above) from ~35 companies, and concluded that Facebook is an within the Open Source space. The only other company using the same license model is Palantir. exception Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the “Software”), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT via MIT (and via MIT) Angular AngularJS via MIT Preact via MIT Vue.js via MIT Ember.js Resources Apache Software Foundation Legal Affairs Committee has announced that ‘Facebook BSD+Patents License’ can not be a direct dependency in Apache projects. Github Issue created to ask React to change their license Facebook explaining React’s license Hacker New comment about Facebook’s explaining the license Hacker News comment on Preact Legal Notes: What’s the Deal with ReactJS’s Licensing Scheme? Too Broad Non-assertion Obligations of React License — PATENTS — _Using GraphQL — Why Facebook Now Owns You_medium.com Using GraphQL? Why Facebook Now Owns You 🐲 _That is, if you ever hope to be acquired by a larger company_medium.com If you’re a startup, you should not use React (reflecting on the BSD + patents license) _Facebook's BSD+Patent license combo fails not because of the license itself but because it ignores the deeper nature of…_meshedinsights.com 5 Reasons Facebook's React License Was A Mistake _As Gertrude Stein might admonish, “there’s no there there.”_medium.com React, Facebook, and the Revocable Patent License. Why It’s a Paper 🐯. _Facebook is nearly alone in their usage of BSD-3 + strong patent retaliation_medium.com An analysis of the licenses used by 75+ Open Source projects across 35 companies
