What alternatives do people have to monetize software in a more ethical way?

I particularly don’t understand the funding that some software receive. What they have to grant to receive those funds?

I also search for some type of monetization “model” better than donations, but more ethical than ads.

If it’s too much to explain I would be grateful for terms or books that I could search later.

    • HappinessPill@lemmy.mlOP
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      2 days ago

      I always imagined some sort of IP royalty, like you have an idea and implement it, then if someone build something over it for profit they need to pay a fixed percentage otherwise it would be free to use basically.