Updates clause in the publisher agreement #4440
Description
I’m confused by how the update clause in the Publisher Agreement fits with your deletion policy. This clause states:
j. Updates. We may update this Agreement from time to time. By continuing to make Offerings available in the Registry, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions contained in the updated Agreement.
On the other hand deletion policy https://github.com/EclipseFdn/open-vsx.org/wiki/Guidelines-on-Extension-Requests states:
It is not possible to delete all versions of an extension if there are other extensions that depend on it.
Together, it looks to me, these rules can trap a publisher. If new terms appear and we can’t accept them, we may be forced to do so anyway because we are blocked from deleting our extension.
What would help
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Right to withdraw. Allow a publisher to unpublish every extension, regardless of dependencies. A short grace period (30–60 days) would give dependents time to adjust.
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Explicit consent. When you change the Agreement, send a notice and require an “Accept” click in the publisher dashboard. Silence shouldn’t equal consent.
For comparison, Microsoft’s Visual Studio Marketplace agreement lets publishers remove extensions at any time (see §3 (f)) and does not rely on automatic acceptance (https://cdn.vsassets.io/v/M187_20210610.3/_content/Visual-Studio-Marketplace-Publisher-Agreement.pdf).