Andres Salomon wrote:
> On Wed, 2004-03-17 at 08:36, Jan Wieck wrote:
> [...]
>> The problem here is that the BSD license now allows integration into
>> commercial closed source applications shipped in binary form only. So
>> someone can grab a binary package of a BSD product and include that into
>> the installer of their proprietary commercial application and we BSD
>> license communities don't care.
>>
>> I think if that is not intended use under FOSS, what is needed here is a
>> special tag added to those bundles, which has to appear right next to
>> the License name wherever it is mentioned. Something like these labels
>> found on Airline snack bagies reading "warning, may contain nuts".
>>
>
> Be careful, you tread on dangerous ground with this sort of clause.
> This sounds a lot like the advertising clause that plagues the original
> BSD license:
> <http://www.fsf.org/licenses/license-list.html#OriginalBSD>.
This is exactly the point. The advertising clause "had" to go. Now the
BSD license is what it (IMHO) always was supposed to be. Making the
source code usable for everyone and every purpose, except to sue the
developers.
>
> Appearing right next to the License name of what? The modified bundle's
> COPYING file? The top of each source files? Should it make mention of
> the entire mysql license? Does it still apply to entire "bundles"?
> What about things that link to things that link to things that include
> mysql server bits? Do they need to warn that the package contains nuts,
> as well? :)
There is the problem. At the first place in the chain, where it is not
made totally clear that "this binary version of BAZBAR is FOOBAR
licensed but contains differently licensed libraries, inherited from the
included FOOFOO package, that are not fully compliant to the FOOBAR
license distribution terms! Please refer to the MyFOO license terms for
details of redistributing any rebundled, relinked or otherwise combined
packages containing this binary BAZBAR package", the whole thing goes
belly up.
Jan
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