If you change a software license, are users of that software bound to the new te... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

		digismack on July 6, 2013 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: A Change in License for Berkeley DB If you change a software license, are users of that software bound to the new terms if they don't "update" to the version of the software released with the updated terms?

schrijver on July 6, 2013 [–]

No, you can’t apply licenses retroactively—if you have a version with the old license it is still under that license.

vorg on July 6, 2013 | [–]

But you can stop supporting the older versions, say, by only applying fixed bugs to the newer versions.

Consider applying for YC's Summer 2026 batch! Applications are open till May 4
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact