._   _       _            
| \ | | ___ | |_ ___  ___
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| |\  | (_) | ||  __/\__ \
|_| \_|\___/ \__\___||___/

Update Sep 22, 2017: React, Jest, Flow, and Immutable are now MIT!

See Relicensing React, Jest, Flow, and Immutable.js | Facebook and the twitter post for more.

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Keeping below links/notes as an archive. They're no longer acurate.

React's BSD-3 + License

There has been quite the uproar lately about React's (and other OSS Facebook projects') license agreement. I can see both sides of the argument, but I'm leaning towards the side that will avoid using these projects where possible, unfortunately.

Looks like Wordpress is actively removing their React usage

Here are some good reads about it:

• 3 Points to Consider before Migrating Away from React Because of Facebook’s ‘BSD+ Patent’ License
• The Facebook Patent License Punishes You For Suing Facebook, But Lets Them Sue You
  • And its associated twitter thread
• If you’re a startup, you should not use React (reflecting on the BSD + patents license)
• An analysis of the licenses used by 75+ Open Source projects across 35 companies
  • React, Jest, Draft.js, Flow, Immutable.js, and GraphQL reference impl under this license
• Brain dump: notes and questions arising from “Facebook’s BSD-3 + strong patent retaliation” license
• Explaining React's license | Engineering Blog | Facebook Code | Facebook
• The React license for founders and CTOs – James Ide

And some discussions on Twitter:

• "You know what would suck? If I invented a really cool new thing, patented it, implemented it in React, then Facebook decided to copy me"
  • @thejameskyle
• "None of this was a surprise tho; everyone was warned (including by me) that this time bomb would eventually go off."
  • @slightlylate
• "React is dead https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15050841"
  • @levelsio
• "Disappointed with Facebook's response to the ASF license issue. They're not the only big company releasing OSS. https://t.co/7YxoA2SMLP"
  • @slicknet
• "The React license allows Facebook to violate patents of companies that use React, and those companies can't sue to stop Facebook"
  • @feross
• "Ok so I did some patent searching."
  • @_developit
• Jon Kuperman on Twitter: "@mjackson @reactjs C) Work for a company with an experienced legal team that has decided it isn't worth the risks."
  • Dan Abramov on Twitter: "@jkup @mjackson @sprjrx @reactjs What gets revoked is the separate patent grant. At which point you’re in the same situation as if it didn’t exist in the first place."
• Rich Harris on Twitter: "@floydophone @lukeed05 @some_day_man @dan_abramov @ThisIsMissEm @facebook uh, wow. please elaborate on that statement. Which patents are being infringed?"
  • Pete Hunt on Twitter: "@Rich_Harris @lukeed05 @some_day_man @dan_abramov @ThisIsMissEm @facebook When I'm back at my computer I'll show you the "download data and render Dom" patent from some random dead Dutch company"
  • Brandon Dail on Twitter: "@Rich_Harris @floydophone @lukeed05 @some_day_man @dan_abramov @ThisIsMissEm @facebook I *think* maybe he means that patents exist for such broad concepts that almost everything is infringing somehow, even if it's unenforceable"
• Mattias P Johansson on Twitter: "I don't understand why people are suggesting Vue instead of React b/c of license. Isn't MIT-only WORSE than Facebooks license?"

@floydophone has been digging up some other patents (point being that we're all screwed if we try to sue any of these big companies):

• Pete Hunt on Twitter: "Remember everyone: if you are doing responsive web design, you are infringing on a Google patent: https://t.co/jWHvlvKuK9"
• Pete Hunt on Twitter: "Better hope you aren't preloading JS with your favorite bundler! It infringes on another Google patent https://t.co/EGvol1kStJ"
• Pete Hunt on Twitter: "Looks like ever webapp that supports third-party plugins (Wordpress etc) likely violates this Google patent: https://t.co/TCMKZJGEpM"
• Pete Hunt on Twitter: "You guys thought @tomdale invented progressive enhancement but it was actually Google. Now pay up! https://t.co/Akfl39LNXQ"