License Approval Process

[Martin Konold]

On Tue, 15 Feb 2000, John Cowan wrote:

> GPL; the "old BSD" license with the advertising requirement is not.
> In general, a license is compatible with the GPL if it imposes the
> same, or fewer, restrictions than the GPL.

According to newest RMS clarifications:

The only way to be compatible with the GPL is to be either GPL or allow to
relicense under the GPL. Even a license which would have the _exact_
restrictions/rights/conditions like the GPL but which dissallows to
rename it to the GPL (or sublicense to the GPL) is _incompatible_ with the
GPL.

The only acceptable license for RMS is finally the GPL. This means that
according to RMS in the end everything shall be licensed under the GPL
without exceptions.

This is the reason why all other currently (according to RMS) compatible
licenses allow for non reversal converting to the GPL at any time.

Yours,
-- martin

// Martin Konold, Stauffenbergstr. 107, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany  //   
KDE:  The most advanced GUI for a reliable OS.