diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr_verify_linked_issue.yml b/.github/workflows/pr_verify_linked_issue.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 927b46c216..0000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/pr_verify_linked_issue.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-# This workflow will inspect a pull request to ensure there is a linked issue or a
-# valid issue is mentioned in the body. If neither is present it fails the check and adds
-# a comment alerting users of this missing requirement.
-name: VerifyIssue
-
-on:
-  pull_request:
-    types: [edited, opened]
-  check_run:
-
-jobs:
-  verify_linked_issue:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    name: Ensure Pull Request has a linked issue.
-    steps:
-      - name: Verify Linked Issue
-        uses: srikanthccv/verify-linked-issue-action@v0.71
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/ee/query-service/license/db.go b/ee/query-service/license/db.go
index b663a5a2ee..4a87cfbdc9 100644
--- a/ee/query-service/license/db.go
+++ b/ee/query-service/license/db.go
@@ -32,19 +32,6 @@ func (r *Repo) InitDB(inputDB *sqlx.DB) error {
 	return sqlite.InitDB(inputDB)
 }
 
-func (r *Repo) GetLicenses(ctx context.Context) ([]model.License, error) {
-	licenses := []model.License{}
-
-	query := "SELECT key, activationId, planDetails, validationMessage FROM licenses"
-
-	err := r.db.Select(&licenses, query)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get licenses from db: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	return licenses, nil
-}
-
 func (r *Repo) GetLicensesV3(ctx context.Context) ([]*model.LicenseV3, error) {
 	licensesData := []model.LicenseDB{}
 	licenseV3Data := []*model.LicenseV3{}
@@ -73,35 +60,6 @@ func (r *Repo) GetLicensesV3(ctx context.Context) ([]*model.LicenseV3, error) {
 	return licenseV3Data, nil
 }
 
-func (r *Repo) GetActiveLicenseV2(ctx context.Context) (*model.License, *basemodel.ApiError) {
-	var err error
-	licenses := []model.License{}
-
-	query := "SELECT key, activationId, planDetails, validationMessage FROM licenses"
-
-	err = r.db.Select(&licenses, query)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, basemodel.InternalError(fmt.Errorf("failed to get active licenses from db: %v", err))
-	}
-
-	var active *model.License
-	for _, l := range licenses {
-		l.ParsePlan()
-		if active == nil &&
-			(l.ValidFrom != 0) &&
-			(l.ValidUntil == -1 || l.ValidUntil > time.Now().Unix()) {
-			active = &l
-		}
-		if active != nil &&
-			l.ValidFrom > active.ValidFrom &&
-			(l.ValidUntil == -1 || l.ValidUntil > time.Now().Unix()) {
-			active = &l
-		}
-	}
-
-	return active, nil
-}
-
 // GetActiveLicense fetches the latest active license from DB.
 // If the license is not present, expect a nil license and a nil error in the output.
 func (r *Repo) GetActiveLicense(ctx context.Context) (*model.License, *basemodel.ApiError) {
@@ -156,50 +114,56 @@ func (r *Repo) GetActiveLicenseV3(ctx context.Context) (*model.LicenseV3, error)
 	return active, nil
 }
 
-// InsertLicense inserts a new license in db
-func (r *Repo) InsertLicense(ctx context.Context, l *model.License) error {
+// InsertLicenseV3 inserts a new license v3 in db
+func (r *Repo) InsertLicenseV3(ctx context.Context, l *model.LicenseV3) *model.ApiError {
 
-	if l.Key == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("insert license failed: license key is required")
+	query := `INSERT INTO licenses_v3 (id, key, data) VALUES ($1, $2, $3)`
+
+	// licsense is the entity of zeus so putting the entire license here without defining schema
+	licenseData, err := json.Marshal(l.Data)
+	if err != nil {
+		return &model.ApiError{Typ: basemodel.ErrorBadData, Err: err}
 	}
 
-	query := `INSERT INTO licenses 
-						(key, planDetails, activationId, validationmessage) 
-						VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4)`
-
-	_, err := r.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+	_, err = r.db.ExecContext(ctx,
 		query,
+		l.ID,
 		l.Key,
-		l.PlanDetails,
-		l.ActivationId,
-		l.ValidationMessage)
+		string(licenseData),
+	)
 
 	if err != nil {
+		if sqliteErr, ok := err.(sqlite3.Error); ok {
+			if sqliteErr.ExtendedCode == sqlite3.ErrConstraintUnique {
+				zap.L().Error("error in inserting license data: ", zap.Error(sqliteErr))
+				return &model.ApiError{Typ: model.ErrorConflict, Err: sqliteErr}
+			}
+		}
 		zap.L().Error("error in inserting license data: ", zap.Error(err))
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to insert license in db: %v", err)
+		return &model.ApiError{Typ: basemodel.ErrorExec, Err: err}
 	}
 
 	return nil
 }
 
-// UpdatePlanDetails writes new plan details to the db
-func (r *Repo) UpdatePlanDetails(ctx context.Context,
-	key,
-	planDetails string) error {
+// UpdateLicenseV3 updates a new license v3 in db
+func (r *Repo) UpdateLicenseV3(ctx context.Context, l *model.LicenseV3) error {
 
-	if key == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("update plan details failed: license key is required")
+	// the key and id for the license can't change so only update the data here!
+	query := `UPDATE licenses_v3 SET data=$1 WHERE id=$2;`
+
+	license, err := json.Marshal(l.Data)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("insert license failed: license marshal error")
 	}
-
-	query := `UPDATE licenses 
-						SET planDetails = $1,
-						updatedAt = $2
-						WHERE key = $3`
-
-	_, err := r.db.ExecContext(ctx, query, planDetails, time.Now(), key)
+	_, err = r.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		query,
+		license,
+		l.ID,
+	)
 
 	if err != nil {
-		zap.L().Error("error in updating license: ", zap.Error(err))
+		zap.L().Error("error in updating license data: ", zap.Error(err))
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to update license in db: %v", err)
 	}
 
@@ -281,59 +245,3 @@ func (r *Repo) InitFeatures(req basemodel.FeatureSet) error {
 	}
 	return nil
 }
-
-// InsertLicenseV3 inserts a new license v3 in db
-func (r *Repo) InsertLicenseV3(ctx context.Context, l *model.LicenseV3) *model.ApiError {
-
-	query := `INSERT INTO licenses_v3 (id, key, data) VALUES ($1, $2, $3)`
-
-	// licsense is the entity of zeus so putting the entire license here without defining schema
-	licenseData, err := json.Marshal(l.Data)
-	if err != nil {
-		return &model.ApiError{Typ: basemodel.ErrorBadData, Err: err}
-	}
-
-	_, err = r.db.ExecContext(ctx,
-		query,
-		l.ID,
-		l.Key,
-		string(licenseData),
-	)
-
-	if err != nil {
-		if sqliteErr, ok := err.(sqlite3.Error); ok {
-			if sqliteErr.ExtendedCode == sqlite3.ErrConstraintUnique {
-				zap.L().Error("error in inserting license data: ", zap.Error(sqliteErr))
-				return &model.ApiError{Typ: model.ErrorConflict, Err: sqliteErr}
-			}
-		}
-		zap.L().Error("error in inserting license data: ", zap.Error(err))
-		return &model.ApiError{Typ: basemodel.ErrorExec, Err: err}
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// UpdateLicenseV3 updates a new license v3 in db
-func (r *Repo) UpdateLicenseV3(ctx context.Context, l *model.LicenseV3) error {
-
-	// the key and id for the license can't change so only update the data here!
-	query := `UPDATE licenses_v3 SET data=$1 WHERE id=$2;`
-
-	license, err := json.Marshal(l.Data)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("insert license failed: license marshal error")
-	}
-	_, err = r.db.ExecContext(ctx,
-		query,
-		license,
-		l.ID,
-	)
-
-	if err != nil {
-		zap.L().Error("error in updating license data: ", zap.Error(err))
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to update license in db: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/ee/query-service/license/manager.go b/ee/query-service/license/manager.go
index ccdfa2b651..f5f704006e 100644
--- a/ee/query-service/license/manager.go
+++ b/ee/query-service/license/manager.go
@@ -27,26 +27,19 @@ var LM *Manager
 var validationFrequency = 24 * 60 * time.Minute
 
 type Manager struct {
-	repo  *Repo
-	mutex sync.Mutex
-
+	repo             *Repo
+	mutex            sync.Mutex
 	validatorRunning bool
-
 	// end the license validation, this is important to gracefully
 	// stopping validation and protect in-consistent updates
 	done chan struct{}
-
 	// terminated waits for the validate go routine to end
 	terminated chan struct{}
-
 	// last time the license was validated
 	lastValidated int64
-
 	// keep track of validation failure attempts
 	failedAttempts uint64
-
 	// keep track of active license and features
-	activeLicense   *model.License
 	activeLicenseV3 *model.LicenseV3
 	activeFeatures  basemodel.FeatureSet
 }
@@ -58,7 +51,6 @@ func StartManager(db *sqlx.DB, features ...basemodel.Feature) (*Manager, error)
 
 	repo := NewLicenseRepo(db)
 	err := repo.InitDB(db)
-
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to initiate license repo: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -66,10 +58,10 @@ func StartManager(db *sqlx.DB, features ...basemodel.Feature) (*Manager, error)
 	m := &Manager{
 		repo: &repo,
 	}
-
 	if err := m.start(features...); err != nil {
 		return m, err
 	}
+
 	LM = m
 	return m, nil
 }
@@ -119,6 +111,7 @@ func (lm *Manager) LoadActiveLicenseV3(features ...basemodel.Feature) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	if active != nil {
 		lm.SetActiveV3(active, features...)
 	} else {
@@ -136,32 +129,6 @@ func (lm *Manager) LoadActiveLicenseV3(features ...basemodel.Feature) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (lm *Manager) GetLicenses(ctx context.Context) (response []model.License, apiError *model.ApiError) {
-
-	licenses, err := lm.repo.GetLicenses(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, model.InternalError(err)
-	}
-
-	for _, l := range licenses {
-		l.ParsePlan()
-
-		if lm.activeLicense != nil && l.Key == lm.activeLicense.Key {
-			l.IsCurrent = true
-		}
-
-		if l.ValidUntil == -1 {
-			// for subscriptions, there is no end-date as such
-			// but for showing user some validity we default one year timespan
-			l.ValidUntil = l.ValidFrom + 31556926
-		}
-
-		response = append(response, l)
-	}
-
-	return
-}
-
 func (lm *Manager) GetLicensesV3(ctx context.Context) (response []*model.LicenseV3, apiError *model.ApiError) {
 
 	licenses, err := lm.repo.GetLicensesV3(ctx)
@@ -188,11 +155,11 @@ func (lm *Manager) GetLicensesV3(ctx context.Context) (response []*model.License
 func (lm *Manager) ValidatorV3(ctx context.Context) {
 	zap.L().Info("ValidatorV3 started!")
 	defer close(lm.terminated)
+
 	tick := time.NewTicker(validationFrequency)
 	defer tick.Stop()
 
 	lm.ValidateV3(ctx)
-
 	for {
 		select {
 		case <-lm.done:
@@ -238,10 +205,27 @@ func (lm *Manager) ValidateV3(ctx context.Context) (reterr error) {
 		lm.lastValidated = time.Now().Unix()
 		if reterr != nil {
 			zap.L().Error("License validation completed with error", zap.Error(reterr))
+
 			atomic.AddUint64(&lm.failedAttempts, 1)
+			// default to basic plan if validation fails for three consecutive times
+			if atomic.LoadUint64(&lm.failedAttempts) > 3 {
+				zap.L().Error("License validation completed with error for three consecutive times, defaulting to basic plan", zap.String("license_id", lm.activeLicenseV3.ID), zap.Bool("license_validation", false))
+				lm.activeLicenseV3 = nil
+				lm.activeFeatures = model.BasicPlan
+				setDefaultFeatures(lm)
+				err := lm.InitFeatures(lm.activeFeatures)
+				if err != nil {
+					zap.L().Error("Couldn't initialize features", zap.Error(err))
+				}
+				lm.done <- struct{}{}
+				lm.validatorRunning = false
+			}
+
 			telemetry.GetInstance().SendEvent(telemetry.TELEMETRY_LICENSE_CHECK_FAILED,
 				map[string]interface{}{"err": reterr.Error()}, "", true, false)
 		} else {
+			// reset the failed attempts counter
+			atomic.StoreUint64(&lm.failedAttempts, 0)
 			zap.L().Info("License validation completed with no errors")
 		}
 
diff --git a/ee/query-service/model/license.go b/ee/query-service/model/license.go
index 706985f027..b96f6737a3 100644
--- a/ee/query-service/model/license.go
+++ b/ee/query-service/model/license.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package model
 
 import (
-	"encoding/base64"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
@@ -61,37 +60,6 @@ type LicensePlan struct {
 	Status     string `json:"status"`
 }
 
-func (l *License) ParsePlan() error {
-	l.LicensePlan = LicensePlan{}
-
-	planData, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(l.PlanDetails)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	plan := LicensePlan{}
-	err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(planData), &plan)
-	if err != nil {
-		l.ValidationMessage = "failed to parse plan from license"
-		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to parse plan from license")
-	}
-
-	l.LicensePlan = plan
-	l.ParseFeatures()
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (l *License) ParseFeatures() {
-	switch l.PlanKey {
-	case Pro:
-		l.FeatureSet = ProPlan
-	case Enterprise:
-		l.FeatureSet = EnterprisePlan
-	default:
-		l.FeatureSet = BasicPlan
-	}
-}
-
 type Licenses struct {
 	TrialStart                   int64     `json:"trialStart"`
 	TrialEnd                     int64     `json:"trialEnd"`