Approval Request: RPSL 1.0

[Rob Lanphier]

Hi everyone,

Here is a link to the RealNetworks Public Source License (RPSL):

http://www.helixcommunity.org/content/rpsl

We'd like to submit this for consideration as an OSI-certified license.

As discussed in the August 1 thread, our intent is to create a license
that is similar in goals to the GPL, with the following key differences:

*  Closing the "ASP loophole".  We want to ensure that someone who sets up
a business as an ASP is subject to the same community obligations as
someone who creates a shrinkwrap product.  See
http://newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=00/11/01/1636202 for more details
on this.

*  Clear language with respect to the scope of patent rights RealNetworks
grants to the community.  We are offering a patent license to the code we
issue.

*  Right for RealNetworks to relicense.  The subgoals for this are as
follows:
   *  We want to ensure we can bring changes back into our main
      development trunk, which is dually licensed under the RPSL and the
      RealNetworks Community Source License (a community source license
      modelled after the Java Community Source License)
   *  We want to be able to relicense this under other terms later
      (perhaps GPL compatibility will become feasible)
   *  We offer licensing under other terms under custom agreement

*  Compability with most currently-approved OSI licenses (exceptions being
licenses that would read on our RPSL'd code)

Let us know what you think, and what we can do to ease the process along.

Thanks
Rob
-- 
Rob Lanphier, Helix Community Coordinator - RealNetworks
http://helixcommunity.org http://rtsp.org http://realnetworks.com

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