In a recent search for some GPL’d collaborative project management software, I stumbled across Convea, who, up until recently, produced a nice piece of GPL’d software. They have now ceased to use an open license:
“No more open source…
Having seen so many companies and individuals blatantly breech our licensing agreements and offer for sale rebranded versions of our software, future Convea products will not be released under any kind of open source license. “
Some people just don’t get it, do they. The license terms of the GPL clearly state that you can do what you like with the code, as long as you release the resulting code under the GPL. Rebranding, unless I’m very much mistaken, is not a ‘breach’ of the GPL, nor is reselling. The same thing covers ‘Luxuriousity Professional Office, which is a rebranded OpenOffice.org (with an _awful_ website, and a ridiculous pricetag).
There are ways to make money with Open Source Software – selling it is unlikely to be one.
mrBen
If that wasn’t so ridiculous, it’d be funny. What was their motivation in GPL-ing the code in the first place, then?