Simplified Artistic License (A Proposed Compromise)

Thu Oct 3 18:52:42 UTC 2002

Dear Russ,

I can understand your point of view, I just wonder if you can see mine?

I am an artist.  I develop software, and that's what I love doing.  I
also love offering it to others, but I want to maintain some semblance
of artistic control over my software.  It's like my baby, after all.
That is why the Artistic License was created.

And it's a great license, but it was designed a decade ago.  And it was
intended for developers of C and Perl.  It also made conditions based on
the state of the computer networking world as it was a decade ago.

More than that, for me, I don't care whether or not people post their
changes anywhere.  I just care that they prominently indicate that the
file was changed from its original version.  And I don't want others
using my name or the name of my software to endorse their products.

So I made my own license, one which I feel is appropriate for my
desires.  And I think that others would want to use this license as
well.

So I propose the Simplified Artistic License.

I posted a copy of the template for it to the list, but I think that it
can be simplified even further, by removing the definitions section of
the license, since these words are defined in the preamble already.  The
license I propose and respectfully request approving is below, and
available at http://enetwizard.sourceforge.net/license.html.

-Samuel

SIMPLIFIED ARTISTIC LICENSE

Preamble

The intent of this document is to state the conditions under which
<<NAME OF PRODUCT>> ("Package") may be copied, such that the author,
<<NAME OR GROUP>> ("Copyright Holder"), maintains some semblance of
artistic control over the development of the Package, while giving the
users of the Package the right to use and distribute the Package in a
more-or-less customary fashion, plus the right to make reasonable
modifications.

Conditions of Redistribution & Use

You may redistribute and use this Package, in source and binary forms,
with or without modification, provided that the following conditions are
met:

- Redistributions of source code must retain the original copyright
notices and associated comments that are included at the beginning and
end of each file that is distributed with the Standard Version. 

- If the source code was modified in any way, each file that was
modified must include the statement "this file was modified from its
original version" along with appropriate comments indicating how and why
the file was modified; these comments should be placed directly
underneath the first comment section of each file. 

- Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. 

- The name of the Copyright Holder may not be used to endorse or promote
products derived from this Package without specific prior written
permission from the Copyright Holder. 

- The name(s) <<NAME OF PRODUCT>> must not be used to endorse or promote
products derived from this Package without specific prior written
permission from the Copyright Holder. 

- Products derived from this Package may not be called <<NAME OF
PRODUCT>> -- nor may <<NAME OF PRODUCT>> appear in their name -- without
prior written permission from the Copyright Holder. You may indicate
that your software works in conjunction with <<NAME OF PRODUCT>> by
saying "Product for <<NAME OF PRODUCT>>" instead of calling it "<<NAME
OF PRODUCT>> Product." 

- You may not charge any fees for the Package itself.  However, you may
distribute this Package in aggregate with other (possibly commercial)
programs as part of a larger (possibly commercial) software distribution
provided that you do not advertise this Package as a product of your
own. 

- Redistributions of any form whatsoever must retain the following
acknowledgment: 
"This product includes <<NAME OF PRODUCT>>, freely available from
<<<URL>>>"

No Warranty

THIS PRODUCT IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR
CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT,
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  EACH RECIPIENT IS
SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR READING THE SOURCE CODE FOR THIS PACKAGE AND
DETERMINING WHETHER THIS PACKAGE DOES WHAT (S)HE EXPECTS IT TO DO, AND
FOR DETERMINING THE APPROPRIATENESS OF USING AND DISTRIBUTING THIS
PACKAGE, AND ASSUMES ALL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH ITS EXERCISE OF RIGHTS
UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE RISKS AND COSTS
OF PROGRAM ERRORS, COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS, DAMAGE TO OR LOSS OF
DATA, PROGRAMS OR EQUIPMENT, AND UNAVAILABILITY OR INTERRUPTION OF
OPERATIONS.

Disclaimer of Liability

NEITHER RECIPIENT NOR ANY CONTRIBUTORS SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY
DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOST PROFITS), HOWEVER CAUSED AND
ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR
TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE
USE OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PACKAGE OR THE EXERCISE OF ANY RIGHTS
GRANTED HEREUNDER, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

--
license-discuss archive is at http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?3