v2: Request to Relicense Contributions for Flipt v2 under the Fair Core License (FCL) #3855
Description
Hello Flipt Contributors 👋,
We’re excited to announce that Flipt v2 is on the horizon ! As part of this major release, we’re transitioning the project’s license from GPL-3.0 to the Fair Core License (FCL-MIT). This change ensures Flipt remains sustainable while balancing open-source freedoms with protections against unfair commercialization.
To complete this transition, we need your help. If you’ve made significant contributions to Flipt in the past, we kindly ask you to agree to relicense your work under the FCL for the v2 release.
What is the Fair Core License (FCL)?
The FCL is a novel license designed to protect the project’s sustainability while preserving open-source values. Key terms include:
- Permitted Uses:
- You may use, modify, and redistribute Flipt for free in most cases, including:
- Internal use
- Non-commercial education/research
- Professional services supporting Flipt users
- Competing Uses Are Restricted: You cannot use Flipt in a commercial product/service that:
- Substitutes for Flipt itself
- Replaces other products/services we offer using Flipt
- Offers substantially similar functionality to Flipt
- You may use, modify, and redistribute Flipt for free in most cases, including:
- License Key Integrity:
- You must not bypass or alter license key functionality that protects restricted features.
- Automatic MIT Conversion:
- Two years after Flipt v2’s release, the license converts to the MIT License, granting unrestricted usage rights.
- Patent Protection:
- A patent license is granted for Permitted Uses but terminates if you sue us over patent infringement.
- Trademarks:
- You may only use our trademarks to attribute us as the Software’s origin.
Read the full license here: FCL-1.0-MIT.
Who Needs to Agree?
You've been tagged in this request if your contributions meet at least one of these criteria:
- Code Contributions: Changes to application source code (not docs/tests) exceeding 1 line.
- Substantial Impact: Contributions critical to Flipt’s functionality or architecture.
If your contributions were only documentation, tests, or very small changes, no action is needed.
How to Agree
If you consent to relicensing your contributions under the FCL for v2, reply to this issue with:
I agree to relicense my contributions to Flipt under the Fair Core License (FCL) for the v2 release.
Deadline: February 28, 2025
What Happens If You Don’t Respond?
If we don’t hear from you by the deadline, we’ll unfortunately need to:
- Remove or rewrite your contributions in the v2 codebase to comply with the FCL.
- Preserve your contributions in the legacy GPL-3.0 code (v1 and earlier).
Why Relicense?
The FCL ensures that:
- Flipt can’t be exploited in commercial products that directly compete with it.
- The project gains long-term sustainability through protections against unfair use.
- After two years, the MIT License takes effect, giving everyone unrestricted rights.
Questions?
Feel free to:
- Ask in this thread.
- Email us at [support@flipt.io].
- Hop in our Discord to chat.
- Review the FCL FAQ.
Thank You!
Your contributions have made Flipt what it is today, and your support now ensures it can grow sustainably for years to come. We deeply appreciate your help in this transition!
Best regards,
Mark Phelps & the Flipt Maintainers