MetaMask Is No Longer Free For Commercial Use
- The popular Ethereum wallet’s code was previously published under a permissive MIT license, which put very limited restrictions on its use.
- The new license will only affect entities that use the code for commercial purposes, and have more than 10,000 monthly users.
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Entities that use MetaMask’s codebase for commercial purposes will now have to sign a formal commercial agreement with the company, MetaMask said in a press release.
According to the announcement, the updated use license will have no impact on most end-users, non-profit organizations, and most application developers, who will be able to continue using the software free of charge. On the other hand, developers who copy, modify, or fork the MetaMask codebase with the intention of commercial use have been invited to sign a commercial agreement with the company.
The announcement reads:
“For example, if you’ve copied MetaMask and offer it commercially to an audience larger than 10,000 monthly active users, we would like to enter into a formal commercial agreement.”
Originally published under a permissive MIT license, which put very limited restrictions on its use, MetaMask’s code will no longer be available to commercial entities for free. The firm did, however, clarify that it will continue to publish all its code in a public repository, in order to create a widely cross-compatible ecosystem of applications. The change was needed in order for the company to receive fair compensation, which will allow it to continue to develop, and provide high-quality products to its users.
The announcement further stated:
“MetaMask has provided an essential and free community service to this point, and to continue to do so, we need a sustainable future for what we see as a public good: a safe wallet.”
The new license will also protect MetaMask from “free-riders or upstream competitors from exerting monopolistic control”. While no names were mentioned in the post, the Head of Product at MetaMask, Jacob Cantele, pointed at the Brave wallet and browser, and tweeted:
- MetaMask expanded its partnership with MoonPay to allow users in Nigeria to buy cryptocurrencies directly from its mobile wallet app and Portfolio dApp.
- MetaMask noted that the new crypto on-ramp feature will be expanded to other African countries in the coming month, including Kenya, Botswana, and South Africa.
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- The company noted that it will continue to operate, and that the 90% withdrawal limit will help it better navigate the prolonged bear market.
- Wyre CEO Yanni Giannaros has transitioned into a new role as executive chairman, while its CRO and CCO, Stephen Cheng, is taking the role of interim CEO.
- MetaMask Bridges was designed to aggregate multiple blockchain bridges in one place, making it easier and more secure for users to transfer their assets from one network to another.
- The new feature currently supports the Ethereum, Avalanche, BNB Chain, and Polygon blockchains, as well as the Connext, Hop, Celer cBridge, and Polygon Bridge.