TL;DR: MIT does too little. GPL does too much. Coffee License does just enough.
You spend months building something useful. You release it open source because you believe in sharing knowledge. Then you discover Apple, Google, or Amazon is using it in production. You never knew. They never said thanks. You got nothing—not even acknowledgment.
This happens millions of times across the software ecosystem.
But there’s a deeper issue: the fundamental loneliness of open source development. You build tools that potentially help millions, but you exist in a vacuum. Did it work? Does anyone care? Are you making a difference? Most of the time, you never find out.
What open source developers actually want:
What current licenses give them:
“If you can afford it, you can pay for the software you use.”
This isn’t about enforcement—it’s about establishing what decent ecosystem behavior looks like. It’s human reverse engineering of compliance: instead of trying to catch violations, I make acknowledgment easier than avoidance.
I believe all software interactions should be based on mutual respect and good faith. That’s why some Coffee License projects include both the free license AND the commercial license right in the repository.
No hunting. No barriers. No gotcha moments.
I trust you to do the right thing.
This approach makes non-compliance genuinely unreasonable—not because of legal threats, but because I’ve removed every possible excuse and made courtesy trivially easy.
The barrier is so low that non-compliance becomes genuinely unreasonable. What billion-dollar company can’t afford $50 and a “thanks for the useful software” email?
This isn’t a business model—it’s a relationship model:
When a company pays the $50 and sends that email, doors open. Suddenly you’re not just an anonymous GitHub username—you’re a real person who solved their real problem.
The Coffee License embodies a core principle: knowledge should be accessible to everyone, but courtesy should be proportional to capability.
This isn’t about restricting access—it’s about scaling courtesy to match resources. Everyone gets the same technical freedoms; only the wealthiest are asked to engage socially.
“Just pay the $50” is simpler than analyzing complex license terms or building custom legal frameworks.
“Billion-dollar company refuses to pay indie developer $50” is not a headline anyone wants.
Companies regularly spend more on:
Even with the commercial license, your copyright notice stays in their code. You get credit regardless of which path they choose.
The Coffee License applies storytelling and user experience principles to legal frameworks. Instead of optimizing for legal complexity, it optimizes for human relationships and clear communication.
Every interaction should feel like human talking to human, not legal entity negotiating with legal entity.
I’m not trying to revolutionize software licensing. I’m trying to establish that:
Basic courtesy should be normal in the software ecosystem.
When someone builds something useful and shares it freely, and you’re a billion-dollar company benefiting from it—acknowledge that. Say thanks. Make a connection.
It’s not about the money. It’s about recognition, relationships, and building a more courteous open source world.
The $50 is really saying: “Please just email me and let me know you exist? 😭”
Success isn’t measured in dollars collected, but in:
Keep the status quo: anonymous consumption, zero acknowledgment, missed opportunities for everyone.
Indie developers build in isolation, never knowing if their work helps anyone. Companies extract value without building relationships. The ecosystem remains fragmented and impersonal.
Or try to make “thanks for the useful software” a normal part of how we do business.
I choose acknowledgment.
This isn’t about getting rich. This is about building software communities where people actually know and thank each other.
Made by a developer who believes that human connection should be part of the software development process.