[License-discuss] Open source license with obligation to display an attribution?

Chris Lamb chris.lamb at opensource.org
Tue Dec 4 15:54:04 UTC 2018


Dear Danese,

>         But we did decide that a brief attribution might be a desirable
> gesture in some cases. The resulting OSI-approved (though seldom-used)
> license is called the Attribution Assurance License.

The clause in question is:

  2. Redistributions of the Code in binary form must be accompanied by
  this GPG-signed text in any documentation and, each time the resulting
  executable program or a program dependent thereon is launched, a
  prominent display (e.g., splash screen or banner text) of the Author's
  attribution information, which includes:
  (a) Name ("AUTHOR"),
  (b) Professional identification ("PROFESSIONAL IDENTIFICATION"), and
  (c) URL ("URL").
  
I would be very interested to learn how you came to choose "prominent"
in the license. Is there discussion in the archives, perhaps? More
concretely, what would you consider the limits to really be?

I jokingly note that you frame it in your previous mail as "brief" … ;)


Best wishes,

-- 
Chris Lamb
Open Source Initiative
Email: chris.lamb at opensource.org
Website: www.opensource.org



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