For Approval: Panda3D Public License Version 1.0

[John Cowan]

Jesse Schell scripsit:

> I believe the license was loosely based on the Apple Public Source
> License.  The lawyer who drafted the Panda3D license left the company
> some time ago, and I haven't been able to reach him. Obviously, the
> Apple license itself wouldn't suffice, since it explicitly names Apple,
> where the Panda3D license names Disney instead.

If you globally replace "Apple" with "Disney", the result will be     
trivially Open Source and will be no problem.  It's possible that Apple
might object, but not very likely.

> 4. [...]
> An electronic copy of the source code for all modifications
> made to the Software are to be forwarded to Licensor at
> panda3d-owner at yahoogroups.com within 90 days of the date of the
> modifications.

Clauses like this are unreasonably burdensome on the makers of distros,
who typically have to make hundreds of patches to get everything
working together.  Having to send hundreds of copies of source code
to different locations every time there is a new release is just too
hard.

The license should be changed to require that the licensor be notified
of the location from which modifications can be downloaded.  In that
way, there is only a single transmission required from the licensee,
not a whole series of them.

If this problem is fixed, I see no problems with OSI approval.  IANAL,
TINLA, IANA OSI board member either.

-- 
You let them out again, Old Man Willow!                 John Cowan
What you be a-thinking of?  You should not be waking!   jcowan at reutershealth.com
Eat earth!  Dig deep!  Drink water!  Go to sleep!       www.reutershealth.com
Bombadil is talking.                                    www.ccil.org/~cowan
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