I noticed something that has me wondering about a license situation here in the marketplace. I had licenses for several free themes in my account. Recently those licenses disappeared! So I checked, and just as I suspected, the theme author (no need to name) had changed those formerly free themes to premium (no longer free).

Now I appreciate the rights of a theme (and/or add-on) developer to change their offer and no longer provide their item for free. And I also appreciate that the items were offered for free (for a time) in the first place. However, the fact that the licenses can be "revoked" raises some questions and concerns, at least in my mind. (I'm assuming since it was literally pulled out of my account that they are in fact revoked).

What does this say about the "rights" of someone that got this theme/addon? In other words, what about their situation and how they are (or planning on) using the theme or add-on? Are they supposed to just change their plans? Redesign and/or redevelop without the item?

Or are they now in a sense forced to pay for it? That can't be, because that would almost amount to extortion. Even if extortion were ok (which it isn't </grin>) who is to say that the new price is fair (or put another way, what would stop a developer from asking a ridiculously high price).

So if neither of the above situations is the case, then why were the licenses pulled? I ask this last question recalling that I specifically used the marketplace cart and added these free themes to my account just so that I would have the needed licenses (recall free items can actually be downloaded without doing so), actually foreseeing that a developer might actually decide to do just this. Because as I said before, I respect that right. But I did not expect the licenses to be pulled.

So what's the deal? I think this needs to be aired out.