nodes and models licences and compliance

[goodnerdboy]

Hi everyone :)
I run comfyUI in a studio, and i start to run into a lot of legal issues concerning nodes and models delivered directly into comfyUI's releases.
Some of the nodes, and models, have territory restrictions, or commercial restrictions.
For example, Tencent doesn't allow the use of their nodes and models outside "specific territories", which exclude the UK or Europe.
So even without installing any third party nodes, just a basic comfyUI install, we can run nodes, as well as API partner nodes, and have legal issues later.
Would there be a way to include a licence check in the nodes so we don't have to check every single node for legal compliance?

[gershu-ar]

I think only a specialized lawyer can provide a real answer to your question but here is what I understand:

ComfyUI is licensed under GPL‑3.0: Any mod that directly extends or modifies ComfyUI’s local code (anything inside "custom_nodes/" -nodes, patches, etc.) is considered a derivative work and must also be GPL‑3.0. This means local nodes can't have territorial restrictions.

Independent tools or remote API services that only connect to ComfyUI are not bound by GPL and can use other licenses.
Models and assets (weights, LoRAs) are not code, so they can carry their own restrictions.

In short, as I understand GPL:
Local code mods = GPL‑3.0.
Remote services and external models = their own licenses (including models, LoRAs, encoders, etc).

• There is no need to check for licenses for local nodes, since they're mandated to comply with GPL 3.0.
• As for the APIs, they all have their management and validation system: if you're not authorized by the provider, it won't work (I'd be up to Tencent to do IP checking or something to enforce their license). Since requesting an API takes steps from your side -including payment in some cases-, that's the moment to read the API license and accept it or not. Outside Comfy's realm and concern.
• As for the models, loras, etc, that's trickier and depends on the user to comply with the law by reading and abiding by the terms provided by the each creator on each individual product, just like each Windows' app has its own license: Windows don't care if you're complying or not -and it shouldn't-; that's something in between you and the author.

Your licensing idea is based on pure logic and I totally get it, but it would give Comfy attributes it shouldn't have. Like Windows shouldn't check if my installed apps are legal, Comfy shouldn't check if I am allowed or not to use a specific third party model.

The technological POV is also to be considered: local models (.safetensor files) only contain tensor data, no more. To add licensing information -or any text metadata-, a new file format would have to be implemented and standardized. Far from easy!

Cheers.

Sources:
GNU Q&A: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLPlugins
ComfyUI licence: https://github.com/Comfy-Org/ComfyUI/blob/master/LICENSE
GPL 3.0: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt