For approval: GNU Affero General Public License

[Stefano Maffulli]

Hi there,

Funambol has adopted the GNU Affero GPLv3 license ("AGPLv3") and  
wishes to submit the AGPLv3 to OSI for approval. The previous Affero  
General Public License  ("AGPLv1") was never submitted to OSI for  
approval but it was quite different from the AGPLv1 so its history is  
irrelevant. The AGPLv3 is designed to close the "ASP loophole" by  
ensuring that modifications of any program which is expressly designed  
to accept user requests and send responses over a network, must be  
made available to users of the network. For a discussion of AGPLv3  
legal issues, please go to http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#AGPLv3InteractingRemotely 
.

The AGPLv3 is very similar to the GPLv3 which has already been  
approved. The only major difference is the modification of Section 13  
which requires that the obligations of the license such as providing  
Corresponding Source and permitting modifications is extended to "all  
users interacting with it remotely through a computer network".  
Consequently, like the GPLv3, the AGPLv3 is consistant with the OSD.

The license proliferation category is "Licenses that are popular and  
widely used or with strong communities".

I would have loved to include the full text of GNU AGPLv3 below, but  
then the message goes beyond the 3k allowed by this ezmlm :( You can  
read the full text online  at http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/agpl-3.0.html

I include the relevant difference with GNU GPLv3

  13. Remote Network Interaction; Use with the GNU General Public  
License.

  Notwithstanding any other provision of this License, if you modify the
Program, your modified version must prominently offer all users
interacting with it remotely through a computer network (if your version
supports such interaction) an opportunity to receive the Corresponding
Source of your version by providing access to the Corresponding Source
from a network server at no charge, through some standard or customary
means of facilitating copying of software.  This Corresponding Source
shall include the Corresponding Source for any work covered by version 3
of the GNU General Public License that is incorporated pursuant to the
following paragraph.

  Notwithstanding any other provision of this License, you have
permission to link or combine any covered work with a work licensed
under version 3 of the GNU General Public License into a single
combined work, and to convey the resulting work.  The terms of this
License will continue to apply to the part which is the covered work,
but the work with which it is combined will remain governed by version
3 of the GNU General Public License.



cheers

--
Stefano Maffulli
Funambol Community manager