If they let me download their code, they would have to let me use the source and sell it as well. But they can simply not let me download it and force me to run the code on their servers exclusively.
This is where the AGPL comes into play. It's a modified form of the standard GPL3 license, but with extra provisions specifically designed to include the of accessing the software from a remote server as distribution. By licensing web applications or server-based software with the AGPL, you then "force" the hosting entity to provide source code for any users of the service.
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If they let me download their code, they would have to let me use the source and sell it as well. But they can simply not let me download it and force me to run the code on their servers exclusively.
This is where the AGPL comes into play. It's a modified form of the standard GPL3 license, but with extra provisions specifically designed to include the of accessing the software from a remote server as distribution. By licensing web applications or server-based software with the AGPL, you then "force" the hosting entity to provide source code for any users of the service.