Even if MongoDB was closed-source, it would not stop anyone from creating a product that was compatible with the MongoDB API. Put another way, your API cannot be your USP.
Lots of companies offer S3-compatible APIs, for instance. They compete not on the API, but around reliability, price, features.
Of course, we have Oracle v Google coming up in the US Supreme Court, so things could change, but this is the way things are now.
Lots of companies offer S3-compatible APIs, for instance. They compete not on the API, but around reliability, price, features.
Of course, we have Oracle v Google coming up in the US Supreme Court, so things could change, but this is the way things are now.