Ask HN: Open-source licenses to disallow use in any blockchain-related projects?

2 pointssizediterable3y ago5 comments

My philosophical beliefs around what open source should be aside, the problems caused by blockchain-related technologies like cryptocurrencies and NFTs have become too large to ignore and I feel compelled to do anything in my power to smother them out of existence.

I wish to add a legally robust "blockchain clause" to all of my projects' licenses that disallows use directly or indirectly in blockchain-related projects. If there are any that already exist, then Ideally I wouldn't need to hire a lawyer to draft one up, but I might be willing to pay if the costs aren't too high, knowing that others would then be able to use it freely.

I personally would want to see lots of widely-depended on open source projects adopt such a clause, whatever dangerous precedents that may come with it.

5 comments

gosh_shell3y ago

What is the context to your request? I ask in theoretical terms. Is it so ridiculous to assume a genuine good coming from a blockchain-related project, provided we are referring squarely to the technology of a decentralized and distributed ledger? Technology like this doesn’t belong to scammers and swindlers, they simply exploit it they way they would have any other technology I’m trying to understand your concerns

eimrine3y ago

How about creating WTFPL-inspired license? If you do not need any other restrictions, just take the most permissive license and define what user can not do. "Do-anything-you-want-except-blockchains public license" may be a great fit for your needs.

sizediterableOP3y ago

Thanks. I think by default, "do what you want" also includes the ability to redistribute the source code with a different license, so would probably need a clause to cover that at least.

whatisweb33y ago

What you are looking for is not an open source license.

mw8883y ago

That’s an oxymoron.

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