[License-review] For Approval: Scripting Free Software License, Version 1.3.5 (S-FSL v1.3.5)

John Cowan cowan at mercury.ccil.org
Thu Nov 7 17:03:44 UTC 2013


Elmar Stellnberger scripsit:

> >Perhaps I am misunderstanding what you mean by "carry the name", but
> >are you saying I am severely restricted in what name I can give to a
> >derivative work?
> 
> Actually not. It gives a detailed naming convention which is
> upstreamname-version-yoursuffix where yoursuffix needs to include at
> least a unique shorthand of you that should point to the name of the
> distribution, product or company. If you want to use a different
> naming scheme you need to create a new 'branch' which may require
> consent of the original authors or new copyright holders if 'free
> branching' has not been specified along with the license string.

That's fine if I am just creating a slight variant of your existing
program.  But the ability to create derivative works goes far beyond that.
For example, it allows me to copy chunks of code that have a particular
purpose in your program and let me incorporate them into my program, which
has a completely different purpose.  Requiring me to name my program with
a variant of your name, when it is not substantively the same program
at all, is productive of nothing but confusion: it benefits neither you
nor me nor the poor users.

> >>/  If you want to develop a separate branch of this program the original
> />>/  authors need to consent as long as the software may be subject to
> />>/  further development by them;/

If you want to prevent free competition, you have to use a proprietary
license, and the inclusion of this clause makes your license proprietary.
The whole point of Open Source licenses is that anyone can reuse the
code without anybody's permission, provided they meet the general terms
of the license.  If you want to allow only negotiated agreements, there
are far better ways than to create pseudo-Open-Source licenses.

-- 
I could dance with you till the cows            John Cowan
come home.  On second thought, I'd              http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
rather dance with the cows when you             cowan at ccil.org
come home.  --Rufus T. Firefly



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