GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
The GNU Affero General Public License is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works, specifically designed to ensure cooperation with the community in the case of network server software.
This is an Open Source license that tries to ensure that open source code stays open source, and is not assimilated/taken over by companies using that open source. In the venture space, use of software with the AGPL license is deemed “risky”, as it might force you to take unwanted actions in the future when using / modifying code under this license:
- Network Provision: if you modify if you modify AGPL-licensed software and run it as a service over a network (e.g., a web application), you must make the source code of your modifications available to users of that service.
- Derivatives must be released under AGPL: Like the GPL, AGPL is a “copyleft” license with a strong viral nature. It requires that any derivative work or software that incorporates AGPL code must also be released under the AGPL.