XML DTD and open source licensing

[MAISONNY Benoit]

Finally, we simply added a line on top of the license file, explaining what the license applies to:

"The following license applies to this EUROCONTROL work (including source
code, document type definitions, documents, or other related items)"

Anyway, a DTD can very well be seen as software (and even source code), much like an IDL interface definition, for instance.

Our full license text is here:
http://www.eurocontrol.int/ais/ahead/eaip/eAIP-pack/LICENSE.txt

Our "OSI Certified" text is notably here:
http://www.eurocontrol.int/ais/ahead/eaip/eaip.html#copyright

If OSI people are unhappy with this, please let me know.

Kind regards,
Benoit Maisonny


> From: Nathan Kelley [mailto:phyax at runbox.com]
> 
> To OSI License Discussion subscribers,
> 
> > From: MAISONNY Benoit <Benoit.MAISONNY at eurocontrol.int>,
> 
> > Most OSI-certified licenses apply to "software". Does that 
> include an 
> > XML DTD?
> >
> > I noticed the W3C license makes broader provision by using 
> the terms 
> > "This W3C work (including software, documents, or other related 
> > items)" and "SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION" in the disclaimer.
> >
> > To give some context: we are tempted to use the BSD license 
> on a work 
> > that includes source code and a DTD. We want to allow 
> anyone to modify 
> > the DTD if they want, under the terms of the BSD license 
> (or similar). 
> > Note that a DTD could very well be distributed in source and binary 
> > form.
> >
> > In doubt, we will probably modify the BSD license, which 
> would prevent 
> > us from using the OSI mark. And this is unfortunate, in my opinion.
> 
> Some licenses refer to all included works as the "source" 
> when defining 
> terms at the beginning, or within, the license. This means that the 
> license can be applied to any work, regardless of whether it is 
> actually source code or not, without changes. That would include your 
> DTD.
> 
> Licenses such as BSD and MIT are more specific that they refer to 
> software and its' source. To use one of those for a DTD you 
> would need 
> to make a minor change to the license so that it could be 
> understood to 
> cover the files that make up the DTD.
> 
> Now, there has been discussion about whether minor changes 
> such as this 
> should invalidate the OSI Certification status of a license; I don't 
> know what the outcome of it was. Perhaps another subscriber could 
> enlighten us.
> 
> Cheers, Nathan.
> 
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