Who owns Moltbot?

Moltbot, now known as OpenClaw, is released as open-source software under the MIT license, which means no single company "owns" it in the proprietary sense. The original author Peter Steinberger retains copyright, but the license grants everyone the freedom to use, copy, modify, and distribute the software. In practice, OpenClaw's direction is shaped by Steinberger and a wider community of contributors rather than a traditional corporate product owner.

The MIT License Explained

The MIT license is one of the most permissive open-source licenses available. When software is released under it, the author grants virtually unrestricted rights to anyone who receives a copy. Here is what that means in practice for OpenClaw:

• Free to use -- you can run OpenClaw for any purpose, personal or commercial, without paying license fees.
• Free to modify -- you can change the source code to suit your needs, add features, remove components, or build something entirely new on top of it.
• Free to distribute -- you can share your modified or unmodified version with others, host it publicly, or bundle it into another product.
• Minimal restrictions -- the only requirement is that you include the original copyright notice and license text in any copies or substantial portions of the software.

This approach contrasts with proprietary software, where a company controls distribution, licensing, and access. It also differs from more restrictive open-source licenses like the GPL, which require derivative works to remain open-source. Under the MIT license, someone could even build a closed-source commercial product on top of OpenClaw if they chose to.

Peter Steinberger as Original Creator

While the MIT license means no single entity controls OpenClaw in a proprietary sense, Peter Steinberger remains the original creator and holds the copyright. In open-source terminology, this means:

• Steinberger authored the initial codebase and chose the license under which it was released.
• He continues to serve as the primary maintainer, reviewing contributions and guiding the project's direction.
• Copyright ownership does not prevent others from using the software; it simply means the original license terms flow from his decision.
• He retains the right to offer the same code under different licenses or terms if needed, though the existing MIT-licensed versions remain freely available forever.

This is a common pattern in open-source projects. The original author maintains a stewardship role, setting technical standards and project vision, while the community contributes code, documentation, and real-world testing. Steinberger's ongoing involvement helps maintain quality and coherence across the project.

Community-Driven Development

One of the strengths of OpenClaw's model is that ownership in the practical sense is distributed. The project benefits from contributions by developers around the world who build integrations, fix bugs, improve documentation, and create new use cases. No single corporate entity controls the roadmap, and decisions about the project's direction are informed by community feedback and real-world usage.

This community-driven approach provides several advantages:

• Resilience -- the project does not depend on the health or priorities of a single company.
• Diversity of ideas -- contributors from different backgrounds bring different use cases and perspectives.
• Rapid iteration -- more contributors means faster bug fixes, broader testing, and quicker feature development.
• Trust -- because the code is open, anyone can audit it for security, privacy, or quality concerns.

Commercial Services Around OpenClaw

Although the core software is free, a healthy ecosystem of commercial services has grown around it. This is a common and sustainable pattern in open-source: the software is free, but convenience, support, and managed infrastructure have value.

OpenClaw.Direct is one example. It is a managed hosting platform that handles the server setup, updates, monitoring, and infrastructure required to run an OpenClaw agent reliably around the clock. Instead of configuring your own server, managing Docker containers, and keeping up with software updates, you can have your agent running within minutes for a monthly subscription.

Other commercial services in the ecosystem include consulting, custom integration development, and specialized hosting configurations for enterprise users. None of these services change the ownership of the core software. OpenClaw remains open-source and freely available to anyone who wants to self-host and manage it independently.