Commercial software that outlives its maker.
When you buy software from an indie developer, you're betting they stick around. The Heirloom License removes that bet: software is a normal paid product while it's maintained, but if the developer goes dormant, the full source automatically opens to everyone under MPL-2.0, permanently — so buyers never lose what they paid for.
It's the structure of the Business Source and Functional Source licenses with one change: it converts on abandonment, not a fixed date — delivered by a GitHub-based dead-man's switch.
| While maintained | If abandoned | Forever after |
|---|---|---|
| A normal paid product. Use it, don't clone it. | No update and no support response for 12 months. | Source publishes publicly under MPL-2.0. Irrevocable. |
- Read the license — text, summary, and the reference dead-man's switch
- Plain-English summary — the promise without the legalese
- Setup guide — arm the switch in about 10 minutes
- Adopters directory — apps using it
- heirloomlicense.org — the site
Pick your variant (default HL-1.0-MPL2.0-12mo), drop in the switch, and show the badge:
[](https://heirloomlicense.org)The license text is CC0 (public domain) — copy and adopt it freely. The name "Heirloom License" and the badge are reserved marks; a modified version must use a different name.
Status: v1.0-draft — community draft, pending legal review. Feedback and red-lines welcome in the issues.