Okay we’re getting off-topic here, but these aren’t the first off topic comments on this thread (Finland, Syscoin, what-have-ya)…
If they redistribute the s/w, that’s where the difference kicks in. MIT: can be closed source as long as the original license is attached. GPL: can’t redistribute modified binaries without the source or instructions on how to modify it.
The source is out there updated in real time (there are no 2 repositories, public and corporate or something like that):
And (for the curious since this was a big topic at the time) the component they coded themselves when MaidSafe wouldn’t license theirs is available under a more permissive (MIT) license: https://github.com/OpenBazaar/txrudp/blob/master/LICENSE.
They could have taken - if MaidSafe licensed thart part of their code under the MIT license - the MaidSafe code, improved it and not disclose it. But they could have done that under the existing license. If they wanted to redistribute the code, with the MIT license for MaidSafe code they could have potentially released their improvements as closed source binary and maybe have another open source “lite” version. GPL prevents that, so they coded their own.
Now whether they’ll have a “lite” and “pro” version of their own packages, I don’t know, but it also doesn’t matter - anyone can take their current MIT licensed code, make modifications and release those under the GPL license.
Long story short what has been released by OB is already available for anyone’s use using a more permissive MIT license. In the future they theoretically could develop multiple versions, but so can MaidSafe (and commercial licensing was available last time I checked). Furthermore nothing prevents MaidSafe from licensing the code under any (including closed source) license which is what (I think) @smacz pointed out somewhere and that is MaidSafe gets copyright on all contributions which lets them re-license such code under a license of their choosing.
Edit: @smacz pointed out it wasn’t him who commented on licensing and indeed it was zankfrappa - I was able to find the post here: LICENSING: Are you dead set on GPL3? - #180 by zankfrappa