WEKA Responds to Unfounded Allegations Made by MinIO Concerning Open Supply Licensing
Nilesh Patel, Chief Product Officer at WEKA.
March 27, 2023
At WEKA, we satisfaction ourselves on delivering modern innovation that delights our clients and companions and interesting in a good battle within the market the place the most effective expertise wins. We imagine in taking the excessive street when our opponents throw punches, specializing in innovation and buyer satisfaction, and holding out of public spats.
That is why we’re deeply upset by the unprovoked and really public assault made by MinIO, an trade peer that WEKA has all the time held respect for, and we discover ourselves within the unlucky place of getting to answer what seems to be a case of rigorously timed and deliberate defamation.
That is our assertion and response to these allegations:
On the finish of the enterprise day on Friday, March twenty fourth – with out warning, provocation, and even offering WEKA with a chance to evaluation and reply to their claims – MinIO issued a public assertion that made a number of false and baseless accusations towards WEKA. It was the primary time MinIO had made us conscious of their issues.
Chief amongst them, MinIO alleged that WEKA shouldn’t be in compliance with the phrases of our Apache 2.0 license of its MinIO Open Supply software program and acknowledged that it was revoking our licenses.
We’re right here to set the file straight: Our clients and companions might be assured that WEKA’s Apache 2.0 licenses are nonetheless absolutely legitimate, in full impact – and are irrevocable.
For the explanations outlined right here, MinIO’s claims are false and baseless:
1. WEKA absolutely complies with Apache 2.0 discover and attribution necessities.
As stipulated by the discover and attribution provisions of the Apache 2.0 license, copyright notices have to be given to any recipients of open-source supplies. WEKA has been and continues to be absolutely compliant with these provisions. Accordingly, we offer the next copyright discover to all WEKA clients and companions, which clearly supplies the suitable attribution to MinIO for the Apache 2.0 license:
Along with making this discover publicly accessible on our website, we additionally reference it in WEKA’s software program end-user license settlement (EULA), within the WEKA software program graphical consumer interface (GUI), within the WEKA command line interface (CLI), and in our WEKA buyer help internet portal – in full compliance with the Apache 2.0 attribution necessities.
2. MinIO has no authority – or potential – to revoke WEKA’s Apache 2.0 license
In a evaluation of the terms of the Apache 2.0 license, it’s made very clear that the license is irrevocable:
– Within the Grant of Copyright License (Part 2 within the license phrases), every open-source contributor grants a “perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to breed, put together By-product Works of, publicly show, publicly carry out, sublicense, and distribute the Work and such By-product Works in Supply or Object kind.”
The written phrases of the Apache 2.0 license settlement are clear: MinIO can’t revoke WEKA’s license.
3. WEKA software program solely makes use of MinIO Open Supply software program licensed underneath Apache 2.0.
We are able to affirm that every one code forked by WEKA has been derived solely from Apache 2.0 licensed code – no MinIO code topic to the AGPL v3 license has ever been utilized in WEKA’s software program. Due to this fact, solely the phrases of the Apache 2.0 license apply.
As proven above, MinIO’s allegations that WEKA is out of compliance with the phrases of its Apache 2.0 open-source license are fully baseless and false – and MinIO can’t revoke WEKA’s Apache 2.0 license.
WEKA takes all mental property, together with open supply, very critically. Though their motivations stay unclear, we imagine the baseless allegations made by MinIO quantity to nothing greater than a reckless publicity stunt and an unprovoked try and trigger hurt to WEKA.
Their actions have additionally induced pointless concern for our clients and companions. We wish to reassure them once more that MinIO’s claims are with out advantage and that WEKA’s Apache 2.0 licenses stay legitimate and in full impact.