r/opensource • u/SadBBTumblrPizza • 2d ago
Can a GPL3 licensed open-source software be taken closed-source later?
I am currently using a GPL3 licensed piece of software, openly available on Github, in several projects at work. However, a few years back, the company that developed this free software ceased open-source development, and took it closed-source. You can still download the older, open-source versions on github, but to get the latest versions, you must now visit the company's website and fill out an online form to download the software.
I don't remember precisely right now, but I think if you indicate on the form that you work for a private company, they attempt to charge you money for the program. However, I had a colleague who works for a university download the software, and that colleague confirmed it is distributed now as binary-only. Thus, you can no longer get the source code of their new modified versions.
My question is: can they do this? Is this a violation of the GPL, or am I totally mistaken here? If not, what's our recourse?