# 003. Apache 2.0 license

**Status:** Accepted

## Context

GitScope needs an open-source license that:

- Provides a patent grant for enterprise users
- Is acquirer-friendly (no copyleft complications)
- Encourages adoption without legal friction

Options considered:

- **MIT** — simple, but no patent grant
- **AGPL** — copyleft scares enterprise adopters and acquirers
- **Dual license** — complexity, signals eventual paywall
- **Apache 2.0** — permissive with patent grant

## Decision

Apache 2.0. Not MIT, not AGPL, not dual-license.

## Consequences

- **Patent grant** protects users from patent claims on the codebase
- **Acquirers can incorporate freely** — no copyleft obligations
- **Enterprise-friendly** — legal teams approve Apache 2.0 quickly
- **Trade-off:** Competitors can fork without contributing back — but that's acceptable for a tool that wins on execution, not lock-in
