# Backspace — Commercial License

Backspace is **dual-licensed**:

1. **Open source** — the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (`AGPL-3.0-only`),
   in the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file. Free for everyone.
2. **Commercial** — described here, for uses the AGPL does not permit.

## When you need a commercial license

The AGPL-3.0 is a strong copyleft license. You likely need a commercial license
if you want to:

- embed or distribute Backspace (in whole or in part) inside a **closed-source or
  proprietary** application;
- offer Backspace to third parties as a **hosted or managed service without
  releasing the complete corresponding source** of your modified version to your
  users (which AGPL § 13 would otherwise require);
- use Backspace in an **organization that prohibits AGPL** software; or
- obtain **warranty, indemnity, or support** terms that the AGPL disclaims.

If you self-host Backspace and are willing to comply with the AGPL — including
publishing the source of any modifications you run as a network service — you do
**not** need a commercial license. The open-source license already covers you.

## What the commercial license grants

Relief from the AGPL's copyleft obligations for your specific use, under
negotiated terms (scope, duration, support, and price depend on your use case).
The maintainer can grant this because the licensing rights in the codebase are
consolidated via the [Contributor License Agreement](CLA.md).

## Third-party components

A commercial license covers only Backspace's **own** code. Bundled third-party
components (see [NOTICE](NOTICE)) — including **libvips** (LGPL-3.0-or-later, via
`sharp`) and the npm dependency tree — remain under their own licenses, and their
obligations pass through to you. The maintainer cannot and does not license away
third-party rights he does not own.

## How to obtain one

Commercial licensing is available **on request**. A dedicated licensing contact
will be added as the project grows; until then, reach the maintainer via GitHub —
open a discussion or issue on the repository, or contact
[@TheZwiss](https://github.com/TheZwiss) — with a short description of your
intended use. Terms are agreed in a separate, signed commercial agreement.

> This document is provided for information only, without warranty. It is **not**
> an offer that forms a contract, and it does not modify the AGPL. The binding
> terms of any commercial license are set out solely in a separate signed
> agreement.

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Copyright © 2026 Jannis Braun. "Backspace", the Backspace logo, and app icons are
trademarks of Jannis Braun; no trademark rights are granted by either the AGPL or
the commercial license.