Facebook buckles under pressure over hated React license

Under pressure from organizations such as the Apache Software Foundation, Facebook is changing the licensing of its open source React JavaScript UI library to one considered less risky for developers.

Beginning with next week’s React 16 release, React will be licensed under the MIT open source license. A point release of React 15 also will be offered next week based on the MIT license.

That change in license removes a controversial term in the BSD + Patents license that Facebook had been using for React. The BSD + Patent license stipulates that anyone using software released under it loses the license if they sue Facebook for patent infringement.

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Under pressure from organizations such as the Apache Software Foundation, Facebook is changing the licensing of its open source React JavaScript UI library to one considered less risky for developers.

Beginning with next week’s React 16 release, React will be licensed under the MIT open source license. A point release of React 15 also will be offered next week based on the MIT license.

That change in license removes a controversial term in the BSD + Patents license that Facebook had been using for React. The BSD + Patent license stipulates that anyone using software released under it loses the license if they sue Facebook for patent infringement.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here