
WordPress Abandons React Due to Patents Clause - sebg
https://wptavern.com/wordpress-abandons-react-due-to-patents-clause-gutenberg-to-be-rewritten-with-a-different-library
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MVorlm
As an aside, there's a 'try-vue' now.
[https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/tree/try/vue](https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/tree/try/vue)

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nikisweeting
Why not just use Inferno (which is MIT licensed), or Preact?

Inferno has 1:1 feature parity with React, and is significantly faster. With
react-compat it can even masquerade as React entirely, allowing people to use
the React docs to learn and develop with it.

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hn_throwaway_99
If the issue is _patents_ , not copyright, moving to Preact isn't going to
make you any safer.

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chrisco255
Then neither is any front end lib that could be violating broadly defined
patents.

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grizzles
Anyone know which are the patents in question?

Reactjs was released in 2013. I just did a quick search for a few plausible
keywords on Google Scholar, and it revealed nothing.

It would be nice if Facebook would come clean as to which of the patents that
they would claim cover React.

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_-david-_
Its not just patents in React. Its patents in "any software, technology,
product or service of Facebook or any of its subsidiaries or corporate
affiliates"

[https://github.com/facebook/react/blob/master/PATENTS](https://github.com/facebook/react/blob/master/PATENTS)

~~~
tzs
There's three sets of patents mentioned in the license.

First, there is the set of patents that Facebook is licensing to you.

I'll call this set "the React patents".

Second, there is the set of patents that someone might sue Facebook over,
alleging that Facebook has infringed. If you are involved in such a suit you
lose your license to the React patents.

Third, there is the set of patents that someone might sue someone else over,
alleging infringement, and for which that alleged infringement arose at least
partially from "any software, technology, product or service of Facebook or
any of its subsidiaries or corporate affiliates". If you are involved in such
a suit you lose your license to the React patents.

I'll call the union of the second and third sets "the triggering patents",
because suing over them can trigger loss of of your license to the React
patents.

The part you quote is referring to patents in that third set, which are
triggering patents, not React patents.

Facebook has stated that termination of the patent license does _NOT_
terminate your copyright license [1].

The question grizzles asked about what Facebook patents cover React is
interesting and important because if it turns out that the React patent set is
empty then you don't actually need a React patent license from Facebook. All
you need in that case is the copyright license.

I've not heard of anyone finding any React patents, but that doesn't mean
there could not be some applications pending from Facebook that would cover
React. It used to be that a good patent attorney or agent could keep a patent
application delayed and secret a very long time so that there was no way in
general to tell if something was safe.

I vaguely recall that there were changes to US patent law that made that a lot
harder, but I'm not sure if they completely made it impossible, so I'm not
sure that we can ever be sure that we don't actually need the patent license.

[1]
[https://code.facebook.com/pages/850928938376556](https://code.facebook.com/pages/850928938376556)

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michaelangerman
Too bad about this...

