Lets say there is some software hosted in a public github git repository under some license A. The owner and copyright-holder now decides to relicense the source-code to another license B. If i would now - after the copyright-holder already commited and pushed this commit with the new license B to github - clone the repository and checkout an older commit where the software was still under license A and only use the source-code from this commit and older, which license would apply?Since i learned (Thanks @Mnementh) that i am allowed to use the Software under License A there is another small question:Am i correct, that i can infact choose which license i want to use, since the holder relicensed the source-code under a new license but even though he can't revoke the old license, the new license still applies to the source-code as a whole, which also includes the complete older source-code from commit X?
Is a license bound to a commit?
relicensing;github
You can use older versions of the software before the license change still under license A, as open source license are irrevocable. The only reason you couldn't do that would be, if license A was illegal for the work in the first place (maybe some license compatibility issue).The new version is only usable with license B (well, the same issue with possible illegal use may apply).The difficult question is, if also can use the old version using license B. That depends. The copyright-holder can change license for his as he sees fit, also for the older version(s). But he must do it explicitly. Without this expression, you have to assume it is still only licensed under license A and B isn't applicable. Even if the copyright-holder expresses, that also the older version can now be used under the terms B too, you have a problem. In the committed code only license A is mentioned and only the text of license A is part of the code. You would have difficulties to prove you can also use this code with license B.The safe way therefore is: Use the old code only with license A and the new code only with license B.