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Yes! This isn't legal advice, but, speaking loosely, the license gave you an irrevocable patent license to use React (that's the first sentence). That license o

by dynamic 11y ago

Yes! This isn't legal advice, but, speaking loosely, the license gave you an irrevocable patent license to use React (that's the first sentence). That license only terminated when you brought a claim against Facebook (or a related party; check out the old license [1] for the details) for patent infringement or claimed that one of their patents was invalid. Two important limitations--the original license terminated if you argued that a Facebook patent was invalid or tried to use patents defensively against them (this has been fixed in the new license, as far as I can tell), and Facebook can still sue you for patent infringement for something other than using React. [1] https://github.com/facebook/react-native/blob/6938f4524676e2f22bacb7d0776f64c7fe393265/PATENTS https://github.com/facebook/react-native/blob/6938f4524676e2...

superuser2 11y ago
>claimed that one of their patents was invalid You would (probably) only do this defensively against an aggression by Facebook. People don't generally have an interest in alleging patents are invalid, unless they are being sued for infringement of those patents.
- dynamic 11y ago
  Some people do! Check out the top story on HN right now, which is about EFF invalidating a patent held by a patent troll: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9356767 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9356767. Nobody was suing EFF (admittedly, that's almost a technicality since the patent holder was suing others, but EFF was trying to advance the public interest). Also check out Ask Patents, which works on invalidating patent applications: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2013/07/22.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2013/07/22.html.
  - joesb 11y ago
    Still, it means that, if Facebook sue you with stupidly-obvious-invalid patent on entirely unrelated product, say a patent that car must have a glass windows, then you can't even defend that such patent is invalid.

by dynamic 11y ago

superuser2 11y ago

>claimed that one of their patents was invalid You would (probably) only do this defensively against an aggression by Facebook. People don't generally have an interest in alleging patents are invalid, unless they are being sued for infringement of those patents.

dynamic 11y ago
Some people do! Check out the top story on HN right now, which is about EFF invalidating a patent held by a patent troll: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9356767 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9356767. Nobody was suing EFF (admittedly, that's almost a technicality since the patent holder was suing others, but EFF was trying to advance the public interest). Also check out Ask Patents, which works on invalidating patent applications: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2013/07/22.html http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2013/07/22.html.
- joesb 11y ago
  Still, it means that, if Facebook sue you with stupidly-obvious-invalid patent on entirely unrelated product, say a patent that car must have a glass windows, then you can't even defend that such patent is invalid.