[License-discuss] Open source license with obligation to display an attribution

Tue Dec 4 15:00:42 UTC 2018

For web apps, you can add an attribution file at a known path, e.g:
foo.com/attribution.md, this is easy to check even if the link is not
visible.

For desktop apps, in the menu you can add a "about" entry somewhere. Many
open source apps are crediting the project developers this way.

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Antoine Thomas aka ttoine

Developer Advocate

t: +33 (0)6 63 13 79 06

antoine.thomas at prestashop.com

On Tue, 4 Dec 2018 at 11:35, <Simon.Cox at csiro.au> wrote:

> Yes, a cluttering of logos is clearly a risk if everyone did this.
>
> It is not meant as 'advertising' in the conventional sense - rather, it is
> a form of attribution. We are a team within a public sector agency. Locally
> we prefer to release most of our products as open-source, but this is
> somewhat under suspicion from some folk up the chain. Our argument for
> doing it is that we have bigger impact this way, and that as a public
> sector organization it is appropriate for the community as a whole to get
> the benefit of our work. But our bosses are also accountable further up the
> chain for the public funding that supports the work, and need to have
> evidence of its impact. If credits were visible on all the websites that
> had deployed our applications, then that would do.
>
> In the cases that we know about we've been able to negotiate it through
> informal channels. But there are other deployments that we come across that
> we were unaware of, and the one-on-one approach is not scalable above a
> handful. It would all be cleaner if we could just point to a license that
> included the requirement, then if that were respected (!) then everyone
> would be happy - the users would have open-source software, and we would
> have evidence that it was in use to show to our paymasters.
>
> I don't think the intention is counter to the spirit of the OSD. But is
> there a better approach?
>
> Simon
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2018 07:07:41 +0000
> From: <Simon.Cox at csiro.au>
> To: <license-discuss at lists.opensource.org>
> Subject: [License-discuss] Open source license with obligation to
>         display an attribution?
> Message-ID:
>         <3155add0d064491fad317abcb622abe4 at exch1-mel.nexus.csiro.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Is there an open source license that also includes an obligation on the
> user to make public attribution of use of the software in a specific form?
>
> What I have in mind is for software that is used to drive a web-site,
> where we just want to request that a logo with the words "Powered by ACME
> technology" is displayed on the website.
>
> Simon J D Cox
> Research Scientist - Environmental Informatics<
> https://research.csiro.au/ei>
> Team Leader - Environmental Information Infrastructure
> CSIRO Land and Water<http://www.csiro.au/Research/LWF>
>
> E simon.cox at csiro.au<mailto:simon.cox at csiro.au> T +61 3 9545 2365 M +61
> 403 302 672
>    Mail: Private Bag 10, Clayton South, Vic 3169
>    Visit: Central Reception, Research Way, Clayton, Vic 3168
> ///honey.zebra.chip<https://w3w.co/honey.zebra.chip>
>    Deliver: Gate 3, Normanby Road, Clayton, Vic 3168
> people.csiro.au/Simon-Cox<http://people.csiro.au/Simon-Cox>
> orcid.org/0000-0002-3884-3420<http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3884-3420>
> researchgate.net/profile/Simon_Cox3<
> https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Simon_Cox3>
> github.com/dr-shorthair<https://github.com/dr-shorthair>
> lov.okfn.org/dataset/lov/agents/Simon%20Cox<
> http://lov.okfn.org/dataset/lov/agents/Simon%20Cox>
> Twitter @dr_shorthair<https://twitter.com/dr_shorthair>
> Skype dr_shorthair<skype:dr_shorthair>
> https://xkcd.com/1810/
>
> PLEASE NOTE
> The information contained in this email may be confidential or privileged.
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>
> Please consider the environment before printing this email.
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2018 01:24:03 -0800
> From: Danese Cooper <danese at gmail.com>
> To: license-discuss at lists.opensource.org
> Subject: Re: [License-discuss] Open source license with obligation to
>         display an attribution?
> Message-ID:
>         <
> CALKqTu-Z_vPzjXg7Z-1W_+ZcJUTESOLZHq6WMvtfNse-hOAHrw at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Yes. We created one back in 2002, in response to SugarCRM decision to
> impose a ridiculous requirement that their attribution be permanently
> displayed in the center of any page using derivatives of their code. We
> felt that the persistence of the display in their requirement was an
> obvious attempt to halt reuse of their code, which is counter to the spirit
> of the OSD. But we did decide that a brief attribution might be a desirable
> gesture in some cases. The resulting OSI-approved (though seldom-used)
> license is called the Attribution Assurance License.
>
> D
>
> On Mon, Dec 3, 2018 at 11:08 PM <Simon.Cox at csiro.au> wrote:
>
> > Is there an open source license that also includes an obligation on the
> > user to make public attribution of use of the software in a specific
> form?
> >
> >
> >
> > What I have in mind is for software that is used to drive a web-site,
> > where we just want to request that a logo with the words ?Powered by ACME
> > technology? is displayed on the website.
> >
> >
> >
> > *Simon J D Cox *
> >
> > Research Scientist - Environmental Informatics
> > <https://research.csiro.au/ei>
> >
> > Team Leader ? Environmental Information Infrastructure
> >
> > CSIRO Land and Water <http://www.csiro.au/Research/LWF>
> >
> >
> >
> > *E* simon.cox at csiro.au *T* +61 3 9545 2365 *M* +61 403 302 672
> >
> >    *Mail:* Private Bag 10, Clayton South, Vic 3169
> >
> > *   Visit: *Central Reception, Research Way, Clayton, Vic 3168
> > ///honey.zebra.chip <https://w3w.co/honey.zebra.chip>
> >
> > *   Deliver: *Gate 3, Normanby Road, Clayton, Vic 3168
> >
> > people.csiro.au/Simon-Cox
> >
> > orcid.org/0000-0002-3884-3420
> >
> > researchgate.net/profile/Simon_Cox3
> > <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Simon_Cox3>
> >
> > github.com/dr-shorthair
> >
> > lov.okfn.org/dataset/lov/agents/Simon%20Cox
> >
> > Twitter @dr_shorthair <https://twitter.com/dr_shorthair>
> >
> > Skype dr_shorthair
> >
> > https://xkcd.com/1810/
> >
> >
> >
> > *PLEASE NOTE*
> >
> > The information contained in this email may be confidential or
> privileged.
> > Any unauthorised use or disclosure is prohibited. If you have received
> this
> > email in error, please delete it immediately and notify the sender by
> > return email. Thank you. To the extent permitted by law, CSIRO does not
> > represent, warrant and/or guarantee that the integrity of this
> > communication has been maintained or that the communication is free of
> > errors, virus, interception or interference.
> >
> >
> >
> > *Please consider the environment before printing this email.*
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > License-discuss mailing list
> > License-discuss at lists.opensource.org
> >
> >
> http://lists.opensource.org/mailman/listinfo/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org
> >
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2018 09:30:14 +0000
> From: David Woolley <forums at david-woolley.me.uk>
> To: license-discuss at lists.opensource.org
> Subject: Re: [License-discuss] Open source license with obligation to
>         display an attribution?
> Message-ID: <d0f39ef4-47e1-1f60-62c6-bfbdc4061c73 at david-woolley.me.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>
> On 04/12/2018 07:07, Simon.Cox at csiro.au wrote:
> > Is there an open source license that also includes an obligation on the
> > user to make public attribution of use of the software in a specific
> form?
> >
>
> The original BSD licence had an advertising clause, but advertising
> clauses are now considered a bad idea because effective use of the open
> source concept would result in user interfaces being cluttered by dozens
> of adverts.
>
>
>
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