The Lava class library has been around even longer than Sharkysoft. What started as a college project was originally distributed as "free shareware," meaning that one could freely download and use it. The product had no "nags" built in, and we were only requesting "donations" from parties that were making extensive use of it.
The generous distribution model of those days was due primarily to the fact that we didn't believe the software was mature enough to justifying charging money for it.
Things are different now. The software is mature and people are using it in various commercial applications. One recently developed commercial product, which incorporates Lava, has even been the subject of one company's patent application.
We have attempted to contact the various search engines and directories to inform them that Lava is not freeware, but have often been unsuccessful in getting the listings corrected. We regret this confusion and hope that the documentation available on this site makes the licensing terms sufficiently clear.
To ask a question about Lava, send email to Sharkysoft.