diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/2025-10-27-press-release-fair-enforcement.md b/docs/blog/posts/2025-10-27-press-release-fair-enforcement.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8f25e0c --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/blog/posts/2025-10-27-press-release-fair-enforcement.md @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@ +--- +draft: false +date: 2025-10-27 +search: + exclude: true +authors: + - fkorotkov +categories: + - announcement +--- + +# Press Release: Cirrus Labs Successfully Enforces Its Fair Source License + +**New York City, NY – October 27th, 2025 – Cirrus Labs, Inc.**, a leading provider of platforms for digital transformation, today announced that it has reached a settlement agreement regarding a violation of its Fair Source License. + + + +Cirrus Labs makes its Tart Virtualization Toolset, a leading virtualization toolset to build, run and manage macOS and Linux virtual machines (VMs) on Apple Silicon, +freely available on GitHub under the Fair Source License, a source-available license. Tart is used by tens of thousands of engineers at no charge within its generous free‑use limits. +Many large enterprises that need to exceed those limits support continued development through paid licenses. Cirrus Labs also uses Tart to power [Cirrus Runners](https://cirrus-runners.app/) +— a drop‑in replacement for macOS and Linux runners for GitHub Actions — offered at a fixed monthly price for unlimited usage. + +Cirrus Labs discovered that, **despite a prior licensing request that Cirrus Labs declined due to a conflict of interest**, the company used Tart in a manner that exceeded the license’s free‑use limits, +in order to create a competing product. + +After several months of negotiations, the matter was settled and a settlement payment to Cirrus Labs was agreed upon. + +!!! quote "Comment by Fedor Korotkov, CEO of Cirrus Labs" + + As a company we embrace healthy competition that ultimately benefits the end user. Most of our users have no trouble complying with our license, + and even when they need something more than our free use limits, we can almost always grant them a license that fits their needs. **This was an exceptional case.** + We are pleased to have reached this settlement, which validates our source-available licensing strategy and reinforces our commitment to protecting our company and serving our community. + +Cirrus Labs was represented in this matter by [Jordan Raphael](https://byronraphael.com/attorneys/jordan-raphael/) of Byron Raphael LLP, a boutique intellectual property law firm, +and [Heather Meeker](https://www.techlawpartners.com/heather), a well-known specialist in open source and source available licensing. + +The specific financial terms of the settlement and the identity of the counterparty remain confidential. + +**About Cirrus Labs:** Cirrus Labs, Inc. is a bootstrapped developer-infrastructure company founded in 2017. Our offerings among others include Tart and Cirrus Runners, +and our software is used by teams at category-leading companies including Atlassian, Figma, Zendesk, Sentry and many more. + +Learn more at [https://tart.run/](https://tart.run/) and [https://cirrus-runners.app/](https://cirrus-runners.app/). + +**Contact:** [hello@cirruslabs.org](mailto:hello@cirruslabs.org)