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Nobuna.com is a membership site that offers huge discounts on WordPress themes and plugins.
But what’s the catch in this? Is there any risk using those products? Why buy from Nobuna and not form the official marketplace/owner?
Is Nobuna Legal?
No, or at least not completely.
WordPress is distributed under GPL – General Public License (so as the plugins and themes). GPL license enables you to copy, modify, distribute or resell the code as you like. This allows sites like Nobuna to redistribute the software to others without violating the WordPress policies.
The GPL license only covers the code part of the plugin, however the software also comes with trademark rights for the creators/owners of the plugin.
So, for example, if a third party redistributes a WordPress plugin using all of the project’s original branding (e.g., promoting it with the original name, logo, etc., of the company/project), this would likely infringe the original developer’s trademark rights. As noted, the open source license does not allow someone to use someone else’s branding in a commercial context. This is important because one of the main principles of trademark law is to protect the consumer from confusion as to where a product is coming from.”1
All in all, what Nobuna is doing is reselling all those plugins and themes at a lower price, which can be considered as piracy (unauthorized and illegal use of someone else’s trademark).
Why the prices on Nobuna are much cheaper?
Don’t think it’s some huge bargain to buy from such sites.
Buying a premium plugin license might look more expensive at first place, but in the long run, it will probably save you a lot (not just money).
Тhe reason why the software costs 5-6x times less than on the original developer’s page is that it comes without support and timely updates.
So if you get in trouble with errors, plugin conflicts, etc. you will be on your own.
The second big downside is the updates. There might be a critical updated needed, because of a new version of WordPress or general changes in any other plugin’s code, but you’ll have to wait sometimes even months before Nobuna update their plugin.
Conclusion
I would not support Nobuna or any other similar website. All in all, it’s just a monkey business, and you should have in mind that when you buy from such sites like Nobuna, what you are getting is pirated software.
They use some doors in the licensing terms of WordPress, but they violate other terms.
I suggest you find the official distributor site, spend some more dollars, and in the long run, you won’t regret it.
Bozh
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HI there, your article is incorrect. While the code of those plugins is GPL, the trademarks and names of those companies are not. For example, we as Automattic own the WooCommerce Trademark and they are in violation with our trademark guidelines.
Hi,
I’ll investigate this further and edit the article with the correct information.
Thank you for mentioning this.
Cheers!
So why doesn’t Automatic sue them?
That’s a good question – surely Automattic would have the legal resources to get this site (and similar other) taken down.
Many of these sites distribute malware and unchecked versions of the plugins and themes and take zero responsibility of course for any wrongdoing while pocketing people’s money. Completely unethical and – as you mentioned – in violation of proprietary trademarks.
Wouldn’t it make sense just to report the site to the hosting company and file a trademark abuse report?
Also heads up – Your feedback form is all caps – The comment posted normal though.