Licensing FAQ

1

What requires a license?

Which Lucky Penny packages require a commercial license?

Two packages: AutoMapper (version 15.0.0 and later) and MediatR (version 13.0.0 and later). Earlier versions remain governed by their original open-source licenses (Apache 2.0 or MIT) and continue to be free to use under those terms.

I'm on an older MIT or Apache 2.0 version. Do I need a license now?

No. Pre-commercial versions remain governed by their original open-source license terms indefinitely. You can continue using those older versions under MIT or Apache 2.0 forever. Lucky Penny does not provide support, security updates, warranty, or indemnity for those older versions.

Is there a free / open-source path for current versions?

Yes. Our source code is publicly available on GitHub under the Reciprocal Public License 1.5 (RPL-1.5). If you accept RPL-1.5's reciprocal/copyleft obligations, you may use AutoMapper and MediatR under that license at no cost. The commercial license is the alternative for users who prefer not to take on RPL-1.5 obligations.

What about extension packages like AutoMapper.Extensions.* or MediatR.Extensions.*?

Those sub-prefixes on NuGet are public - third parties can publish packages there. Lucky Penny does not publish, support, warrant, or indemnify any third-party package in those sub-prefixes. Our authoritative package list is on our NuGet profile. Note: MediatR.Contracts is published by Lucky Penny under Apache 2.0 and is free to use under those terms.

2

License tiers and developer counting

What does "team-based pricing" mean?

Instead of paying per individual developer or per seat, our licenses cover your team at one of three tiers based on team size: Standard (1-10 developers), Professional (11-50 developers), or Enterprise (unlimited developers). Within your tier, you can grow your team without buying additional licenses; when your team exceeds your current tier's developer count, you upgrade to the next tier.

Do I count all developers in my company, or only the ones using AutoMapper / MediatR?

Only the developers actively writing or maintaining code that uses the library. License sizing is based on developers with "Programmatic Access" - those who regularly write, modify, debug, or compile code that calls into AutoMapper or MediatR. Frontend developers, QA engineers, designers, product managers, and other team members who don't touch library code don't count.

What about contractors, offshore developers, or developers at an affiliated company?

Count them if they are performing development work for your products that use the library. If a developer is employed by an Affiliate of yours (parent, subsidiary, sister company) but is working in furtherance of your products, they may be counted under your license. To extend rights more broadly so your affiliates can use the library for their own products, see the Global License Addendum or Enterprise Group Addendum.

Can I stack two Standard licenses to cover 14 developers?

No. License tiers are non-cumulative. If you exceed Standard's 10-developer limit, upgrade to Professional. Stacking is not permitted.

My team uses both AutoMapper and MediatR. Do I need two licenses?

You can purchase a subscription covering either product alone or a bundled subscription covering both. The bundle uses a single license key. Your quote will specify whether you're buying one or both products.

3

Community License eligibility

Who qualifies for the Community License?

Individuals and organizations meeting all of these criteria:

Annual gross revenue (or non-profit budget) less than $5,000,000 USD
Has not received more than $10,000,000 USD in outside capital (private equity, venture capital, etc.)
Not a government or quasi-government entity
Not a university or higher-education institution using the library for institutional / operational software

Self-service - no approval process. Just register through our pricing page.

My organization is publicly funded or operates as a public service. Does it count as government?

Yes, in most cases. "Quasi-government" includes any entity funded primarily by government, regulated as a government instrumentality, or operated as a public service. Common categories that do not qualify for the Community License include public health systems, multilateral development banks and international financial institutions, public school systems and educational authorities, municipalities and other local government bodies, environmental and regulatory agencies, public utilities, and government-controlled enterprises.

If your organization receives substantial public funding or operates under government oversight, it likely requires a commercial license. Contact sales if you're unsure.

Are universities and educational institutions eligible?

Depends on the use. Educational purposes - classroom instruction, student coursework, individual learning, faculty teaching, and academic research that is not used to operate the institution - are eligible for the Community License regardless of setting.

Institutional / operational use - administrative systems, registrar tools, financial systems, alumni databases, the institution's public website - requires a commercial license. Contact sales for educational pricing.

We're a consulting company / agency. How do we count developers, and can we use the Community License for client work?

If your clients have their own developers, the client (not your agency) holds the license, and your developers count toward the client's tier sizing. If your client has no developers and is paying you for shrink-wrapped software, your agency's team size applies.

The Community License is available for client work only if the client itself would qualify (under $5M revenue, etc.). For Fortune 500 or similarly large clients, the client needs a commercial license to cover your work on their products.

4

Purchase, payment, and channels

How do I buy?

Several channels are available, depending on your size and procurement requirements:

Direct online - visit our pricing page, choose your tier, check out via our payment processor. Accepts credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and several country-specific options. Best for self-service customers without procurement requirements.
Quote and invoice - submit our quote/invoice request form (or email sales@luckypennysoftware.com). We send a quote, you accept (via signed quote, purchase order, or written confirmation), we invoice, you pay via ACH or wire transfer. No EULA modifications required; standard terms apply. This is the most common enterprise path.
Negotiated Enterprise - for customers requiring custom terms or addendums. Start with the quote/invoice request form; the quote-and-invoice flow plus a redline review of the standard EULA. Available at Enterprise tier only.

What payment methods do you support?

Credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Wire Transfers/ACH, and several country-specific options. For invoiced purchases, ACH and wire transfer are available.

How can I provide my VAT details during checkout?

In the checkout dialog, you'll first enter your country and postal code. If your country participates in VAT, you'll have a link on the payment screen to "Add VAT number" which allows you to add your VAT and company details. VAT is removed in cases where it doesn't apply.

Can I pay via invoice or ACH/wire transfer?

Yes! Both are available when paying by invoice. Submit our quote/invoice request form - we send a quote, you accept (signed or PO), and you pay by ACH, wire transfer, or other invoice payment methods. This path doesn't require credit card information.

My company requires a signed agreement / doesn't allow click-through EULAs. Can I buy without negotiating?

Yes - use the quote-and-invoice path. Submit our quote/invoice request form to get started. We send a quote, you sign it or issue a purchase order against it, we invoice, you pay. The signed quote or purchase order is the binding acceptance of the EULA. No click-through required, no EULA redlines required.

Can I buy through an authorized reseller?

Yes. We work with multiple third-party resellers and authorized storefronts worldwide. The reseller handles your purchase; you accept the EULA at install or via signature. Your commercial relationship with the reseller (payment terms, account management) is governed by your agreement with them; your use of the library is governed by our EULA. See the "Available through our resellers" section on our pricing page for current partners.

We're a reseller / distributor. How do we onboard?

Yes, we work with resellers and distributors. In this model, payments and invoices are directed to the reseller/distributor, and licenses are delivered directly to the end user. Please fill out our reseller/distributor request form to get started (or email sales@luckypennysoftware.com).

Is there a 12-month commitment on monthly subscriptions?

Yes. Monthly subscriptions have a 12-month minimum term, billed monthly. Annual subscriptions are paid up front at the cost of 10 months, saving 2 months' cost.

5

License keys, environments, and administration

Do I need a license for development environments?

No. No license is required for development, CI/CD, staging, QA, integration testing, or any other non-production environment. Only production deployments need the license key.

How is the license key enforced at runtime?

License key enforcement is completely self-contained in the libraries. There is no license server or network access required for license checks. Enforcement is through warning/error log messages - there are no artificial runtime limits based on missing, expired, or invalid license keys. We trust our users!

What happens when the license key expires?

Log warnings only. The library continues to function normally - no degraded performance, no feature lockout. The warning is a renewal reminder, not an enforcement mechanism. Renewal updates the key annually.

How do I assign licenses to individual developers?

You don't. Lucky Penny does not use per-seat licensing. Each license is registered to a single Customer administrator account that holds the license key for the subscription. Developers use the library through their normal workflow without per-developer activation. If you need additional sub-accounts (for procurement, accounting, etc.), contact us and we'll add them under your primary account.

Where do I install the license key, and what about client-side apps like Blazor WASM or MAUI?

Pass the key to the library through your application configuration (environment variable, app settings, secret store, etc.). For client-side scenarios where the key would be exposed to end users - Blazor WASM, MAUI, WPF, mobile apps - simply omit the key. The library will log a warning, which is acceptable in client-side contexts; the license still applies to the developers building the application.

Full configuration details: docs.automapper.io/en/latest/License-configuration.html

6

Affiliates and optional addendums

Does my license cover my parent company / subsidiary / affiliate?

Not by default. A standard license is registered to a single named legal entity. To extend rights to your Affiliates, enter into the Global License Addendum (covers all Affiliates) or the Enterprise Group Addendum (covers a bounded set of named Affiliates).

What happens to my deployed applications if I don't renew?

Applications you developed during your active subscription continue to run normally - the library performs no runtime enforcement, so deployed applications are not affected by license key expiry. What you lose is the right to develop new applications, upgrade to newer library versions, or receive support. Enterprise customers with specific long-term runtime requirements should contact sales to discuss options.

Can I negotiate the EULA?

Generally only at the Enterprise tier. Standard and Professional licenses are non-negotiable as a matter of policy - at those price points, the cost of legal review on both sides exceeds the deal size. Enterprise customers may request redlines and/or addendums.