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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>David Shofi wrote: <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:sans-serif'>I find it quite unbelievable that a clear and
unequivocal statement that an original copyrighted work is dedicated to the
public would not serve to provide the necessary rights to anyone choosing to
use the work in an OSS project, regardless of the OSS license used by that
project. </span></font><font color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Once again the public domain rears its
undisciplined head! :-) Dedicate your works to the public domain if you insist,
but it is so easy to say: "Licensed to the public under the BSD
license."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Jean-Marc Lienher said that he didn't want
"acknowledgement over which he has no control." Do you think he can control
or prevent acknowledgement through a public domain dedication? Most recipients
of software will follow their own ethical duty not to plagiarize and will
acknowledge even the public domain works they copy. (I attribute certain
statements to Shakespeare even though his works are in the public domain.)
Modern open source licenses protect authors' reputations through attribution
provisions that say directly what licensees must or must not do; public domain
dedications leave all that out. Most software authors appreciate provisions
like "Don't use my name or trademark to promote your versions of this software."
It is the rare author who wants to leave that to chance.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Mr. Lienher also said he doesn't like
provisions that require that a copy of the license be included with the code.
And yet anyone who copies works dedicated to the public domain would be wise to
include at least the copyright notice and the public domain notice with those
copies to help prove the pedigree of the code. So what is anyone actually
saving here?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>If an author thinks even the BSD license
is too strict, try saying this:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> Copyright 20xx
author-name.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> Licensed to the public
under the BSD license.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> Copyright owner hereby
waives the right to enforce the conditions of the BSD license.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>At least that way the BSD's important warranty
disclaimers would continue to apply, and the author would have all the other legal
benefits of using a license rather than some public domain dedication for which
the copyright law has made no provision.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>/Larry<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>P.S. Please don't take this as a
recommendation to use the BSD license. There are much better and more
comprehensive academic-style licenses on OSI's list. This technique of
expressly waiving enforcement of license conditions can be used with those
licenses too. And it doesn't require OSI's approval of a new license to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Lawrence Rosen</span></font><font
color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Rosenlaw & Einschlag, a technology
law firm (<a href="http://www.rosenlaw.com">www.rosenlaw.com</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>3001 King Ranch Road, Ukiah, CA 95482</span></font><font
color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>707-485-1242 * cell: 707-478-8932 *
fax: 707-485-1243</span></font><font color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Skype: LawrenceRosen</span></font><font
color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Author of "Open Source Licensing:
Software Freedom and </span></font><font color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>
Intellectual Property Law" (Prentice Hall 2004)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt'>
<div>
<div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=3 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
</span></font></div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> DShofi@atmi.com
[mailto:DShofi@atmi.com] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, July 26, 2007 8:02
AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> Jean-Marc Lienher<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> license-discuss@opensource.org<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: Near Public Domain
license</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><br>
</span></font><font size=2 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:sans-serif'>I find it quite unbelievable that a clear and
unequivocal statement that an original copyrighted work is dedicated to the
public would not serve to provide the necessary rights to anyone choosing to
use the work in an OSS project, regardless of the OSS license used by that
project. That being said, like all software, a recipient of the work
would want to do some due diligence to understand that the author actually
wrote the work from scratch without reliance on another work that may itself be
copyrighted by another. In other words, I would think that the public
domain is an acceptable manner of putting your work out there for others to
copy, modify and distribute. You may want to include a statement about
the pedigree of the code to allay concerns as described above.</span></font> <br>
<br>
<font size=2 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:sans-serif'>Of
course, you should engage with your own attorney if you want to be sure of your
rights... :)</span></font> <br>
<br>
<font size=2 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:sans-serif'>Good
luck!</span></font> <br>
<font size=2 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:sans-serif'><br>
David M. Shofi<br>
<br>
</span></font><br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=0 width="100%"
style='width:100.0%'>
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign=top style='width:40.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=1 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:
7.5pt;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:bold'>"Jean-Marc Lienher"
<jml@whoow.org></span></font></b><font size=1 face=sans-serif><span
style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:sans-serif'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=1 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:
sans-serif'>07/26/2007 09:13 AM</span></font> <o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td width="59%" valign=top style='width:59.0%;padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=0 width="100%"
style='width:100.0%'>
<tr>
<td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=1
face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:sans-serif'>To</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:
7.5pt;font-family:sans-serif'><license-discuss@opensource.org></span></font>
<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=1
face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:sans-serif'>cc</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=1
face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:sans-serif'>Subject</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=sans-serif><span style='font-size:
7.5pt;font-family:sans-serif'>Near Public Domain license</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=0>
<tr>
<td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
<td valign=top style='padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt'>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<br>
<br>
</span></font><tt><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Hi,</span></font></tt><font
size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Sorry if this is a FAQ, but I've not found any
searchable archive of this</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">list.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">I need a very permissive license, Public Domain is
a option but I've found</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">that it is OSI incompatible. </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">(
http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Licensing_and_Law/public-domain.html )</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Is there any such license already available ?</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Zlib is nice. But the </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> "If you use this software</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> in a product, an acknowledgment in
the product documentation would be</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> appreciated but is not
required."</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">sentence is too much. </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">I don't want any acknowledgement on which I don't
have any control.</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">And the Zlib disclaimer looks very short compared
to the MIT/BSD.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">I don't like the BSD because you must put a copy
of the license in the</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">documentation or in a README.txt file.</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">I don't like the MIT because the license must be
included in the binaries.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">I've just seen a message talking about a
simplified BSD license, but I can't</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">find it on the archive. (there is nothing after
march 2007 </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">http://www.crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?ddp:0:0#b
)</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Does this simplified BSD license fits to my needs
?</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">I wrote my own license, which is a mix between
MIT/BSD/ISC licenses with</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">zero condition.</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">Here it is :</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">-----------------------------------------------------------------------</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">
Copyright (c) <year> <copyright holders> </font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> Permission to use, copy, modify, sublicense,
and/or distribute this</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> work for any purpose with or without fee is
hereby granted.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> THE WORK IS PROVIDED "AS IS",
WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE
WARRANTIES OF</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. </font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT,</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY
DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER
IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT,</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New"> WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS WORK.</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">-------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">But it looks like the approval process will cost
me a lot of money.</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">I need to find a English speaking lawyer in my
country to create the legal</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">analysis...</font></tt><br>
<br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">So if there is an other license, which is
currently in the approval process,</font></tt><br>
<tt><font face="Courier New">and which is compatible with my needs, I will use
it.</font></tt><br>
<br>
<br>
</span></font><br>
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