The emergence of the SSPL, CockroachDB, Commons Clause and Confluent licenses are putting the definition of "Open Source" to the test. The companies that are behind these licenses argue that cloud providers aren't playing fair and these licenses are required to protect their investment. But is software freedom situation dependent? Can we make exceptions to software freedom to allow for practical commercial considerations? This is a critical debate that strikes at the very heart of what is free software, open source and software freedom. This talk will examine the rationale behind these licenses, whether they are "open source" and explore how we as a community can respond in a effective and responsible manner.
Speakers: Michael Cheng