Apache vs BSL License Analysis

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{
  "id": "d6e9c16e-df89-4b6f-b17b-9f524a6aba60",
  "type": "general",
  "status": "completed",
  "title": "Apache vs BSL License Analysis",
  "description": "Comparing Apache 2.0 vs BSL for greatVibeAgent and greatVibe.local",
  "context": {
    "requestId": "96710626-51fc-4ad9-b1c3-bd22d889c333",
    "output": "<div style=\"background:#1e1e1e;color:#e0e0e0;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;font-family:sans-serif;\"><h2 style=\"color:#fff;margin:0 0 16px 0;\">Apache 2.0 for Agent/Local?</h2><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#98c379;\">Yes, This Could Work Well</h4><p style=\"color:#e0e0e0;margin:0 0 12px 0;\">Apache 2.0 is a great choice if your commercial moat is the <strong>cloud platform (greatVibe.ai)</strong> rather than the agent itself.</p></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#61afef;\">Proposed License Strategy</h4><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;\"><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><th style=\"text-align:left;padding:8px 0;color:#56b6c2;\">Component</th><th style=\"text-align:left;padding:8px;color:#56b6c2;\">License</th><th style=\"text-align:left;padding:8px;color:#56b6c2;\">Effect</th></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">greatVibeAgent</td><td style=\"padding:8px;color:#98c379;\">Apache 2.0</td><td style=\"padding:8px;\">Fully open source, anyone can use/modify/distribute</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">greatVibe.local</td><td style=\"padding:8px;color:#98c379;\">Apache 2.0</td><td style=\"padding:8px;\">Fully open source, self-hosting encouraged</td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">greatVibe.ai</td><td style=\"padding:8px;color:#c678dd;\">Proprietary</td><td style=\"padding:8px;\">Private repo, commercial SaaS, all rights reserved</td></tr></table></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Why Apache 2.0 Works</h4><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;line-height:1.8;\"><li><span style=\"color:#98c379;\">Maximum adoption</span> - No restrictions means more users, contributors, integrations</li><li><span style=\"color:#98c379;\">OSI approved</span> - Included in Linux distros, enterprise-friendly</li><li><span style=\"color:#98c379;\">Patent protection</span> - Apache 2.0 includes patent grants (MIT doesn't)</li><li><span style=\"color:#98c379;\">Your moat is the platform</span> - greatVibe.ai has multi-tenant, SSO, billing, SLA - hard to replicate</li><li><span style=\"color:#98c379;\">Community goodwill</span> - True open source builds trust and contributions</li></ul></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#c678dd;\">The Trade-off</h4><p style=\"color:#e0e0e0;margin:0;line-height:1.6;\"><strong style=\"color:#ef4444;\">Risk:</strong> Someone could fork greatVibeAgent and compete directly with your SaaS.<br><br><strong style=\"color:#98c379;\">Mitigation:</strong> Your advantages are:<br>• Brand recognition (greatVibe.ai is the official platform)<br>• Speed of innovation (you control the roadmap)<br>• Enterprise features only in greatVibe.ai<br>• Support and SLAs<br>• Integration ecosystem</p></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#56b6c2;\">Companies Using This Model</h4><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:0.9rem;\"><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">GitLab</td><td style=\"padding:6px;\">Core is MIT, EE is proprietary</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Grafana</td><td style=\"padding:6px;\">AGPL for core, proprietary cloud</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Supabase</td><td style=\"padding:6px;\">Apache 2.0 for core, managed service is the business</td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Hashicorp (before)</td><td style=\"padding:6px;\">Was Apache/MPL before switching to BSL</td></tr></table></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 8px 0;color:#fff;\">My Recommendation</h4><p style=\"color:#e0e0e0;margin:0;line-height:1.6;\"><strong style=\"color:#98c379;\">Go with Apache 2.0</strong> for greatVibeAgent and greatVibe.local. Your commercial value is in greatVibe.ai - the multi-tenant platform with SSO, billing, SLA, enterprise features. The agent being fully open source will drive adoption and contributions.<br><br>You can always add BSL restrictions later if competitors emerge, but starting permissive builds community trust.</p></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-top:16px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 8px 0;color:#fff;\">What's Next?</h4><p style=\"color:#9ca3af;margin:0;\">Choose an action:</p></div></div>",
    "choices": [
      {
        "label": "Create Apache LICENSE",
        "value": "Create Apache 2.0 LICENSE files for greatVibeAgent and greatVibe.local",
        "primary": true
      },
      {
        "label": "Stick with BSL",
        "value": "Keep BSL 1.1 for the agent and local - I want more protection"
      },
      {
        "label": "Dual license",
        "value": "Use dual licensing - Apache for community, commercial license for enterprise"
      }
    ],
    "turnTiming": {
      "totalMs": 127966,
      "ttfeMs": 393,
      "thinkingMs": 127573,
      "toolExecutionMs": 0,
      "toolCallCount": 0,
      "thinkingPct": 100,
      "toolsPct": 0,
      "ttfePct": 0
    }
  },
  "createdBy": "claude",
  "createdAt": "2026-01-05T16:08:10.474Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-01-05T16:09:40.173Z",
  "requestId": "96710626-51fc-4ad9-b1c3-bd22d889c333",
  "scope": "vibetools",
  "tags": [
    "legal",
    "licensing",
    "greatVibe"
  ],
  "targetUser": "claude"
}