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Amazon Uses ReactJS Despite Patents Clause

16 points by blairanderson 9y ago

krrishd 9y ago
Does Facebook realistically have any incentive to remove the clause? Is there a history of them enforcing it (and forcing a competitor to stop using React)?
- benologist 9y ago
  The Apache Foundation does not permit it, so they'll probably have to debundle the patents: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14779881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14779881
  - krrishd 9y ago
    I'm not particularly well-versed in how these things work -- does that mean Facebook would no longer be able to use BSD licensing for React since it's from Apache?
draw_down 9y ago
Amazon Apparently Afraid of Neither Bogeymen Nor Dracula
diggan 9y ago
> 1. Install the react chrome extension No need to even do that. Open up the console and look for the `React` or `ReactDOM` objects, they are on the window object...
- blairanderson 9y ago
  But with the chrome extension you can see so much deeper into the react components! pretty cool to see the responsive components swap in an out on different browser sizes.
- draw_down 9y ago
  They don't have to be, though.
falcolas 9y ago
Amazon likely has a bigger army of lawyers than Facebook, and so isn't worried about having to rely on patents if they need to sue Facebook. Or they're willing to eat a few hundred hours of labor to change the frameworks being used for their web pages if they do need access to that patent portfolio. Not that many smaller companies can say the same thing.
- blairanderson 9y ago
  You think someone at Amazon literally said "Ehhh we have a bigger army of lawyers, lets use it"...??? I don't believe it!
  - falcolas 9y ago
    What's the alternative? They didn't run it past Legal and opened themselves up to liability? I'm making the (perhaps charitable) assumption they did run it past Legal, and Legal decided they could deal with the fallout if it came to pass.
blairanderson 9y ago
2 days ago [Apache publicly disallows React](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14779881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14779881)! I thought it was pretty interesting to see a freaking massive tech company completely ignore and utilize
ams6110 9y ago
Maybe Amazon has a separate cross-licensing agreement with Facebook. Maybe Amazon isn't concerned if Facebook infringes on any of their patents. Have they ever enforced "one click ordering" or any of their other dubious "innovations"?

16 points by blairanderson 9y ago

Does Facebook realistically have any incentive to remove the clause? Is there a history of them enforcing it (and forcing a competitor to stop using React)?

benologist 9y ago
The Apache Foundation does not permit it, so they'll probably have to debundle the patents: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14779881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14779881
- krrishd 9y ago
  I'm not particularly well-versed in how these things work -- does that mean Facebook would no longer be able to use BSD licensing for React since it's from Apache?

draw_down 9y ago

Amazon Apparently Afraid of Neither Bogeymen Nor Dracula

diggan 9y ago

> 1. Install the react chrome extension No need to even do that. Open up the console and look for the `React` or `ReactDOM` objects, they are on the window object...

blairanderson 9y ago
But with the chrome extension you can see so much deeper into the react components! pretty cool to see the responsive components swap in an out on different browser sizes.
draw_down 9y ago
They don't have to be, though.

falcolas 9y ago

Amazon likely has a bigger army of lawyers than Facebook, and so isn't worried about having to rely on patents if they need to sue Facebook. Or they're willing to eat a few hundred hours of labor to change the frameworks being used for their web pages if they do need access to that patent portfolio. Not that many smaller companies can say the same thing.

blairanderson 9y ago
You think someone at Amazon literally said "Ehhh we have a bigger army of lawyers, lets use it"...??? I don't believe it!
- falcolas 9y ago
  What's the alternative? They didn't run it past Legal and opened themselves up to liability? I'm making the (perhaps charitable) assumption they did run it past Legal, and Legal decided they could deal with the fallout if it came to pass.

blairanderson 9y ago

2 days ago [Apache publicly disallows React](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14779881 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14779881)! I thought it was pretty interesting to see a freaking massive tech company completely ignore and utilize

ams6110 9y ago

Maybe Amazon has a separate cross-licensing agreement with Facebook. Maybe Amazon isn't concerned if Facebook infringes on any of their patents. Have they ever enforced "one click ordering" or any of their other dubious "innovations"?