[License-review] For Approval: Convertible Free Software License, Version 1.3 (C-FSL v1.3)

[Bruce Perens]

The "conversion" clause is hiding in 6.2, and the wording seems to obscure
its intent without changing its effect.

*6.2 You may re-licence your Derivative Work separately under any Licence
you desire, without a Marker and only with the prior written consent of the
Original Authors. In such event, new Contributors may be added to the
Original Authors’ group.*

What this actually says is that the original authors can re-license
derivative works of others without the permission of the creators of those
derivative works. And they can give others permission to do so, but only
they can. It seems that directing this clause to "you" is disingenuous. And
the term is still discriminatory, even if disguised in different language.

     Thanks

     Bruce


On Tue, Jan 8, 2019 at 5:51 AM Elmar Stellnberger <estellnb at elstel.org>
wrote:

> Full Name: Convertible Free Software License Version 1.3
> Short Identifier: C-FSL v1.3
> URL1: https://www.elstel.org/license/C-FSL-v1.3.pdf
> URL2: https://www.elstel.org/license/C-FSL-v1.3.txt
>
> Rationale and Distinguish:
> While the BSD license allows the whole world to re-license and while
> re-licensing is virtually impossible with GPL since every contributor
> would need to consent the C-FSL license goes a practical intermediate
> way restricting the right to re-license to a group called the original
> authors. That way open source developers are not excluded from making
> business with others who want to base a proprietary product on the given
> piece of open source software.
>
> Proliferation Category & Legal Review:
> Other/Miscellaneous
> The license has now been fully reworked by a lawyer. Besides this
> Version 1.3 features easier and more user friendly forking.
>
> list of software which uses C-FSL v1.1.:
> qcoan: https://www.elstel.org/coan
> xchroot, confinedrv, bundsteg, debcheckroot, dbschemacmd: also found at
> www.elstel.org
>
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>
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