[License-review] For Approval: License Zero Reciprocal Public License

[John Cowan]

On Sat, Sep 23, 2017 at 11:45 PM, Kyle Mitchell <kyle at kemitchell.com> wrote:

I hope you'll forgive me.  I couldn't
> quite decide what general impression to
> take from your message.  "Killer
> argument" sounds good, at least to this
> lawyer's ear.  "No cigar", not so much.
>

Sorry, I wrote that poorly; I meant a killer
argument against that feature of the license.

Second, and conversely, there's no
> entitlement to others' software, even
> others' Open Source software, on the
> terms we might prefer.  We might prefer
> the law as a whole leave software
> totally unencumbered by IP rights, in
> natural state akin to a total permissive
> license today, perhaps with an
> obligation to provide source to those
> affected.  The bad news, of course: that
> is not the law.


Neither is it the use that the copyright owner
can control every use.  In particular, the
§ 117 right of software adaptation is lost
under your license without onerous conditions.
I call that copyright misuse.


> L0-R drives a harder
> "bargain" in that sense---its mores are
> more demanding---but the difference is
> one of degree, not of any totally new
> kind.
>

What's totally new is that it is extended
beyond the copyright bundle into a whole
set of rights that people always have had.
If you look at the FSF's definition of software
freedom, the right to use (including the right
to adapt) is guaranteed.


> You wrote a little.  I've written too
> much.  If you make it this far, and even
> if you don't, thank you.  Challenging
> feedback is the feedback I'm most
> grateful for.
> <https://lists.opensource.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/license-review>


You're welcome.  Please understand that
if my language is harsh, it is aimed only
at your license, not at you personally.

-- 
John Cowan          http://vrici.lojban.org/~cowan        cowan at ccil.org
Humpty Dump Dublin squeaks through his norse
                Humpty Dump Dublin hath a horrible vorse
But for all his kinks English / And his irismanx brogues
                Humpty Dump Dublin's grandada of all rogues.  --Cousin
James
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