[RFC] Relicense Lola from GPL-2.0 to Apache 2.0

[mrbrandao]

Summary

We are exploring submitting Lola to the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF) as a hosted open source project. As part of this process, AAIF requires projects to use an OSI-approved permissive license. Lola currently uses GPL-2.0, which is OSI-approved but copyleft, not permissive.

We are proposing to relicense Lola from GPL-2.0-or-later to Apache 2.0.

Why Apache 2.0?

Apache 2.0 is the standard license across the cloud-native and agentic AI ecosystem (Kubernetes, Podman, CRI-O, Helm, Istio, and essentially every CNCF project). It is:

• Permissive — no copyleft restrictions for downstream users
• Patent-protective — contributors grant users an explicit patent license
• Foundation-ready — required by Linux Foundation-backed foundations like AAIF
• Enterprise-friendly — removes adoption friction for commercial users

GPL stays great for standalone projects (Ansible is a good example), but foundation hosting requires permissive licensing.

Why AAIF?

The Agentic AI Foundation (https://aaif.io) is a Linux Foundation project focused on the agentic AI ecosystem — exactly where Lola lives. Joining AAIF would give Lola:

• Foundation resources and mentorship from the Technical Committee
• Broader community visibility and adoption
• Long-term governance and sustainability

What We Need From You

As a contributor to Lola, your consent is required to relicense your contributions. Please reply to this discussion with one of:

• I consent to relicensing my contributions to Apache 2.0
• I do not consent (please share any concerns so we can discuss)

If we do not hear from you by 2026-06-04, we will follow up directly. Any contributions from non-responding or non-consenting contributors would need to be rewritten before the relicense can proceed.

References

• AAIF Project Proposals: https://github.com/aaif/project-proposals
• Apache 2.0 License: https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

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cc @SecKatie @rjeffman @dmartinol @sergio-correia @Odilhao @trevor-vaughan @mairin

[SecKatie]

@mrbrandao I consent to relicensing my contributions to Apache 2.0.

[rjeffman]

I consent to relicensing my contributions to Apache 2.0.

[trevor-vaughan]

I consent to relicensing my contributions to Apache 2.0.

[sergio-correia]

I consent to relicensing my contributions to Apache 2.0.