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Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

blog.min.io

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Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#41

Post by rvnx »

debarshri wrote: post #27

Around 2019, a lot of kubernetes distributions started popping up. They often bundle various open source solutions into one platform/PaaS and sell it to the end users. I wonder, - What are the consequences for these companies? - Do they share revenue with the open source projects? - Can they simply distribute these services without any consequences? - If not, When and How does a small open source project org enforce…

The consequences is that these companies get very rich and they eventually take-over the open-source project.

See Redis for example, two Israeli dudes took the open-source Redis, made tons of money.

Everyone is happy: the two founders became rich, the VCs became rich.

What about the authors and contributors of Redis ? Well thank you for the gift. As a present you can have the privilege to work for us to keep maintaining your bugs. Don't complain too much.

Then you can rewrite the history to make it sound like you created Redis and it's a win, while it's actually just a very smart dude in Italy who wrote most of the software using his own sweat and support from his employer (Pivotal).

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#42

Post by Jolter »

pabs3 wrote: post #6

Will revoking their license stop Nutanix from using MinIO or will they have to go to court to get them to stop? I don't see any mention of a lawsuit in the post.

First, revoke the license. That means they are no longer permitted to redistribute the code.

If they then continue to redistribute it, they are committing a copyright violation. That’s when there is cause for a lawsuit.

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#43

Post by kdmytro »

rvnx wrote: post #41
debarshri wrote: post #27

Around 2019, a lot of kubernetes distributions started popping up. They often bundle various open source solutions into one platform/PaaS and sell it to the end users. I wonder, - What are the consequences for these companies? - Do they share revenue with the open source projects? - Can they simply distribute these services without any consequences? - If not, When and How does a small open source project org enforce…

The consequences is that these companies get very rich and they eventually take-over the open-source project. See Redis for example, two Israeli dudes took the open-source Redis, made tons of money. Everyone is happy: the two founders became rich, the VCs became rich. What about the authors and contributors of Redis ? Well thank you for the gift. As a present you can have the privilege to work for us to keep maintain…

Did the two Israeli dudes violate the Redis license?

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#44

Post by btdmaster »

Can you revoke an Apache-2.0 copyright license? The terms say irrevocable, though it stipulates respecting the terms and conditions:

"2. Grant of Copyright License. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare Derivative Works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute the Work and such Derivative Works in Source or Object form."

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#45

Post by d3nj4l »

kdmytro wrote: post #43
rvnx wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The consequences is that these companies get very rich and they eventually take-over the open-source project. See Redis for example, two Israeli dudes took the open-source Redis, made tons of money. Everyone is happy: the two founders became rich, the VCs became rich. What about the authors and contributors of Redis ? Well thank you for the gift. As a present you can have the privilege to work for us to keep maintain…

Did the two Israeli dudes violate the Redis license?

Is it possible to do something legal, yet morally wrong?

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#46

Post by xadhominemx »

rvnx wrote: post #41
debarshri wrote: post #27

Around 2019, a lot of kubernetes distributions started popping up. They often bundle various open source solutions into one platform/PaaS and sell it to the end users. I wonder, - What are the consequences for these companies? - Do they share revenue with the open source projects? - Can they simply distribute these services without any consequences? - If not, When and How does a small open source project org enforce…

The consequences is that these companies get very rich and they eventually take-over the open-source project. See Redis for example, two Israeli dudes took the open-source Redis, made tons of money. Everyone is happy: the two founders became rich, the VCs became rich. What about the authors and contributors of Redis ? Well thank you for the gift. As a present you can have the privilege to work for us to keep maintain…

If he didn’t want someone commercializing his software, he should used a different license. His own employer is is a commercial wrapper on an open source Project.

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#47

Post by xadhominemx »

d3nj4l wrote: post #45
kdmytro wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did the two Israeli dudes violate the Redis license?

Is it possible to do something legal, yet morally wrong?

Clearly there was demand for a commercial offering. What should they have done differently?

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#48

Post by bad416f1f5a2 »

d3nj4l wrote: post #45
kdmytro wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did the two Israeli dudes violate the Redis license?

Is it possible to do something legal, yet morally wrong?

“By selecting this license I give anyone permission to do X, Y, and Z with my software - provided they do A as well.”

“I’m going to chose to do Z and A with your software.”

“Moral hazard! Moral hazard!”

Picking a license indicates what you are willing to have others do with your work. If you don’t want people to be able to monetize it, pick a different license.

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#49

Post by api »

rvnx wrote: post #41
debarshri wrote: post #27

Around 2019, a lot of kubernetes distributions started popping up. They often bundle various open source solutions into one platform/PaaS and sell it to the end users. I wonder, - What are the consequences for these companies? - Do they share revenue with the open source projects? - Can they simply distribute these services without any consequences? - If not, When and How does a small open source project org enforce…

The consequences is that these companies get very rich and they eventually take-over the open-source project. See Redis for example, two Israeli dudes took the open-source Redis, made tons of money. Everyone is happy: the two founders became rich, the VCs became rich. What about the authors and contributors of Redis ? Well thank you for the gift. As a present you can have the privilege to work for us to keep maintain…

These days liberal OSS licenses are really just free labor for this kind of thing. If you use a very liberal OSS license just make sure you are 100% OK with your work being appropriated this way, including having your name stripped from it and some hustler taking credit.

In the long term I think this kind of behavior is going to kill open source for things beyond libraries and building blocks.

Everything open on the Internet is destroyed by exploitation of one form or another: appropriation, spam, scams, etc. I've become fond of saying "the Internet is a dark forest."

Re: Nutanix Objects violates MinIO’s open source license

#50

Post by debarshri »

ghaff wrote: post #38
debarshri wrote: post #27

Around 2019, a lot of kubernetes distributions started popping up. They often bundle various open source solutions into one platform/PaaS and sell it to the end users. I wonder, - What are the consequences for these companies? - Do they share revenue with the open source projects? - Can they simply distribute these services without any consequences? - If not, When and How does a small open source project org enforce…

Note that projects in the cloud native space are mostly Apache-licensed. (For example, the CNCF only approves other licenses on an exception basis I believe.) In that case, so long as attributions/trademarks are honored (which oddly seems to not have been the case here), projects licensed in that way can be freely used with Kubernetes without other restrictions.

Could you elaborate what free distribution mean? Often these platforms have enterprise license. Does that mean it is not free?
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