can I have a license in my plugin?

[infernodia]

I wanted to sell a premium plugin soon, was wanting to know if we are allowed to license the plugin where the buyer has to enter their license?

[Nathan Malcolm]

It's your plugin and your code, do whatever you like.

[[ExiTuS]]

When you sell your plugin, then make the license a part of your contract.
So my suggestions:
- Let your customer definitely know of the license agreements and require an acceptance of your conditions and policies.
- Additionally put your license policies into the source code as notes for your customer with requirements to not remove your copyrights or license notes.
- Especially when selling, keep in mind any support claims as part of your licensing.

Generally it depends on the license model you wish to choose. So be wise!

[ExiTuS]

[Darth Apple]

I'm sure it's been done before on MyBB, but the issue with that is that code gets nulled. It's very unfortunate. I stay out of the premium plugin business because it's altogether discouraging for developers to turn around and find their work stolen. However, the issue with PHP is that the source code is completely out in the open. Even if you obfuscate it well, someone would be able to modify it to get around the license.

As [ExiTus] said, being very clear with your licenses and making sure that users have to accept them is a starting point. You'll want to keep a very close tab on where your plugins end up (I've had to send DMCA takedown requests for my theme before). Besides that, take a look at what some of the premium plugin developers around here do with their code, and get an idea of how they make it work. There will always be freeloaders who will be trying to steal your plugins, but if you make it a little harder for them to do, you can at least raise the barrier for entry with those who will try to get around the restrictions.