MetaMask adopts a new license for distributing its source code

Developers of the MetaMask browser extension for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain announced a transition to a new license for distributing their source code. They explained the decision by the desire to limit free use of the software by commercial projects with large audiences.

Starting today, we at MetaMask will be publishing our work under a new license. For end users and application developers, this will not have any impact, but it helps us protect our long term sustainability.
https://t.co/w8z8uXbE4a

— MetaMask (@metamask_io) August 20, 2020

Initially, MetaMask used the MIT license, which allowed third-party developers to use the source code with near-total freedom.

Under the terms of the new license, commercial projects with more than 10,000 active users per month will not be able to use MetaMask for free and will have to sign an official agreement.

Developers can still copy, modify and distribute their versions of MetaMask. However, developers who do so for commercial use are invited to begin a dialogue with us about further collaboration,

According to MetaMask representatives, this will allow them to protect their product from ‘free riders’ or competitors who are establishing monopolistic control.

Some users expressed ‘disappointment’ at such a decision by MetaMask, saying that while the developers fully deserve monetary compensation, they could have found other ways to achieve this.

MetaMask’s Director of Product, Jacob Cantele, said the project would continue to publish open-source libraries and intended to remain free for end users. However, MetaMask must also be able to compete with projects that use its own code.

Among such projects, Cantle named ‘browsers that have forked MetaMask and promote their own forks, while making it harder to use MetaMask.’ As an example, he cited a screenshot of the Brave browser:

Please know that we will continue to publish open source libraries, are committed to remaining public, and free for users. We have to be able to compete against projects that exist upstream of us in the web3 tech stack, and are competing against us with our own code. pic.twitter.com/TdHD55DK4z

— Jacob Cantele ⟠ 🦊 (@jacobcantele) August 21, 2020

Earlier in July, the MetaMask developers introduced a new version of the extension, increasing privacy and security options.

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