The Open WebUI project, which develops a platform for deploying large language models on its own hardware and interacting with them via a web interface, has switched to a restrictive license that prohibits renaming. Initially, the project was provided under the BSD-3 license, but starting from release 0.6.6, restrictive changes were added to the license text. Additionally, the project has introduced a mandatory rights transfer agreement for community members wishing to submit their modifications.
When installing or distributing copies of Open WebUI, users are now required to retain the original branding elements, name, and logo. An exception is made only for developers who submitted changes before the license change, holders of a commercial license, and installations that interact with fewer than 50 users per month. Such conditions do not meet the criteria of open licenses according to OSI, so the project can now be considered proprietary, despite the word 'Open' in its name. Code released before version 0.6.6 remains under the BSD license.
However, the developers of Open WebUI do not believe that the change has made the project proprietary. The requirement to retain branding is presented as a copyleft-like protection aimed at combating abuses and dishonest vendors who claim others' work as their own product. Otherwise, the project retains all rights granted by the BSD license, such as the ability to redistribute, modify, and create forks. When creating a fork or custom edition based on the codebase after version 0.6.6, branding elements must be preserved, and it must be indicated that the product is an unofficial fork. Mention of Open WebUI must be explicit and visible. Claims that a third-party edition is developed with the approval or involvement of the Open WebUI project are prohibited.
It is noted that the reason for the change in licensing was the abuse by some consumers who simply removed any mention of the code's connection to the Open WebUI project, presented the result as a new development, and attempted to sell it as their own product. Additionally, parasitical intermediaries formed around the project, misleading users and promoting their versions as official editions of Open WebUI, backed by the original project developers. In case of issues, the creators of such modifications shifted the support workload onto the main project, contributing nothing to the overall endeavor and not participating in its development.
Source: opennet.ru
