[License-review] Approval: Server Side Public License, Version 1 (SSPL v1)

[Eliot Horowitz]

SSPL does not violate OSD 6.  It allows the Program to be used by
anyone for any purpose. If section 13 is triggered, there is a
copyleft condition that must be complied with. The SSPL is like many
other open source licenses, whose terms will naturally apply
differently to different groups of licensees. For example, most open
source licenses apply different conditions to software distributors
and software users -- not because the license discriminates, but
because those licensees choose to do different things with the
software. SSPL’s copyleft condition may require some users to release
more software than others, but that is only because those users made
different choices as to how to deploy the SSPL software.  The license
does not set facially different rules for any field of endeavor.
On Thu, Oct 18, 2018 at 5:18 AM Stefano Zacchiroli <zack at upsilon.cc> wrote:
>
> On Tue, Oct 16, 2018 at 09:03:02AM -0400, Eliot Horowitz wrote:
> >
>
> Heya, SSPL reads:
>
> > If you make the functionality *of the Program or* a modified version
> > available to third parties as a service, you must make the Service
> > Source Code available via network download to everyone at no charge,
> > under the terms of this License.
>
> in contrast, AGPL:
>
> > if you *modify the Program*, your modified version must prominently
> > offer all users interacting with it remotely through a computer
> > network
>
> so SSPL triggers on mere use, rather than on modification (+ use). This
> point hasn't seen much discussion in this thread yet, but it seems to me
> to be both a major difference with the status quo and a potential
> blocker in view of OSD §6 (or, more generally, Freedom 0).
>
> This looks like a more significant differentiation point between AGPL
> and SSPL, rather than the stated motivation that it is unclear what is
> the reach of AGPL copyleft provision.
>
> Cheers
> --
> Stefano Zacchiroli . zack at upsilon.cc . upsilon.cc/zack . . o . . . o . o
> Computer Science Professor . CTO Software Heritage . . . . . o . . . o o
> Former Debian Project Leader & OSI Board Director . . . o o o . . . o .
> « the first rule of tautology club is the first rule of tautology club »
>
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