Element forked its own donated Matrix server implementations from the Matrix Foundation, relicensing under AGPL to build a sustainable business.
Synapse is a Matrix homeserver written in Python/Twisted. Dendrite is a next-generation homeserver in Go. Element's fork maintains the same codebase but under AGPL v3 with a CLA requirement for contributions. The Matrix protocol itself remains an open standard under the Foundation.
The Matrix protocol emerged as an open standard for decentralized real-time communication, with Synapse as its reference server implementation. Element (formerly Riot.im, formerly Vector) was the primary company behind both the protocol and Synapse, employing most of the developers. In 2019, Element transferred Synapse and Dendrite (a next-gen Go implementation) to the Matrix.org Foundation under the permissive Apache 2.0 license.
This created an unsustainable situation. Element paid developers to build Synapse, but the Apache 2.0 license meant anyone could take the code, offer competing hosted services, and contribute nothing back. Large cloud providers could — and did — run Matrix services using Element's work without supporting the project financially.
In 2023, Element made a controversial decision: they forked their own donated code. Element created new repositories for Synapse and Dendrite under the Element HQ GitHub organization, relicensing under AGPL v3 with a Contributor License Agreement (CLA). The Apache 2.0 versions remain in the Matrix.org organization but receive no further development from Element.
The move was met with mixed reactions. Some saw it as a pragmatic necessity — Element needed revenue to continue developing Matrix, and the permissive license was being exploited by free-riders. Others saw it as a betrayal of the open-source ethos, particularly the CLA requirement which gives Element special licensing rights over community contributions.
The situation mirrors similar moves across the industry (MongoDB's SSPL, Elastic's license change, HashiCorp's BSL), but with a unique twist: the company was forking code it had previously donated to a foundation it had also created. It raised uncomfortable questions about whether foundation governance can survive when a single company funds the majority of development.
Element transfers Synapse and Dendrite to Matrix.org Foundation under Apache 2.0
Matrix protocol shifts to AGPL, Element forks Synapse and Dendrite under AGPL with CLA
Element's fork becomes the actively-developed version; Foundation repositories receive minimal updates
Conduit (independent Matrix server) archived; community forks emerge as conduwuit
Element's self-fork highlighted the fundamental tension in open source: permissive licenses attract adoption but enable free-riding, while copyleft licenses protect against exploitation but reduce adoption. The Matrix ecosystem now has a complicated dual-track with Apache and AGPL versions of the same software, and community trust in foundation governance has been shaken.