For Approval: SSCL

Schmitz, Patrice-Emmanuel patrice-emmanuel.schmitz at be.unisys.com
Wed Sep 8 16:19:12 UTC 2010


Interoperability is often (wrongly) understood as the right to *change* the license of a component. This should *never* occur: the sole acceptable purpose of interoperability is to make possible the distribution of combined works, where a blocking license conflict exists. As RMS wrote (after acknowledging that GPLv2 and v3 are NOT compatible) "Fortunately, license incompatibility only matters when you want to link, merge or combine code from two different programs into a single program." (http://gplv3.fsf.org/rms-why.html). 
This is the reason why the EUPL license reserves interoperability to "Derivative Works based upon both the Original Work and another work licensed under a Compatible Licence" (which is what I call "combined work").

Please note also that in order to avoid a dilution of the requirements of one or either licenses, the EUPL adds: "Should the Licensee's obligations under the Compatible Licence conflict with his/her obligations under this Licence, the obligations of the Compatible Licence shall prevail."

Last, interoperability does not solve licence proliferation (but only reduces the impact of license conflicts resulting of it). Right! However, if a "club" or "enlarged community" makes their copyleft licenses interoperable, this will make the licenses belonging to this circle much more interesting for developers: they will focus on this circle... reducing the interest for license proliferation...  
Greetings,
Patrice-Emmanuel
www.osor.eu

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Carlo Piana [mailto:osi-review at piana.eu]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 4:38 PM
> To: license-review at opensource.org
> Subject: Re: For Approval: SSCL
> 
> Il 08/09/2010 16:24, Tzeng, Nigel H. ha scritto:
> > Hit send before I finished my thought.
> >
> > Perhaps that could be amended to "interoperates with any other OSI
> approved
> > license that reciprocates interoperability" to address his concern that
> if
> > taken into a GPL project that he cannot use those modifications in his
> own
> > project.
> >
> >
> 
> I find this concept quite nonsensical. Reciprocal "licensing
> interoperability" is unworkable for strong copyleft licenses, or to make
> it work one should inevitably dilute the requirements of one or either
> licenses. One way "interoperability" (as in the EUPL or in the "or any
> other version" clause of the *GPL) can work. This is however not a
> solution to license proliferation.
> 
> I very much agree with Russ's comments on all other accounts.
> 
> > A GPL project could include a similar Open Source Exception much like
> how a
> > Classpath exception is implemented and be able to use code under this
> > license.  That probably works for MPL as well and would allow all open
> > source projects to interoperate.
> >
> 
> Again, this assumes that one project is at liberty to abdicate to some
> of the provision of the license, which is true in a negligible share of
> the cases.
> 
> With best regards,
> 
> Carlo
> 
> 
> >
> > On 9/8/10 10:09 AM, "H Nigel" <Nigel.Tzeng at jhuapl.edu> wrote:
> >
> >
> >> I like Patrice-Emmanuel's comment regarding interoperability with other
> OSI
> >> approved licenses.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 9/8/10 9:59 AM, "Russ Nelson" <nelson at crynwr.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>> Gregor, I really REALLY appreciate your enthusiasm, and desire for a
> >>> succinct copyleft license.  But all those words and sentences and
> >>> paragraphs in the GPL are there for a REASON.  I strongly encourage
> >>> you to read the GPL, and reverse-engineer the wording to see what
> >>> problem is being solved.  Then go and see if the SSCL actually solves
> >>> that problem unambiguously.  Not in your mind, but in the mind of a
> >>> hostile reader.
> >>>
> >>> Legal agreements are made between friends, and interpreted by
> >>> enemies.  You only need a license when the other guy has turned into
> >>> an asshole.
> >>>
> >>> I read through your submission email, and I don't see a description of
> >>> your objection to the GPL, other than a philosophical objection to its
> >>> length and complexity and that it doesn't cause compatibility problems
> >>> (and yet it does, since the GPL requires you to license all derived
> >>> works under the GPL, so this license is incompatible with the GPL).
> >>> The GPL is fairly well understood at this point, so that's not a good
> >>> reason to try to reinvent it.
> >>>
> >>> We have a board meeting today.  I'll mention the SSCL, and say that
> >>> it's still under discussion.
> >>>
> >>> Gregor Pintar writes:
> >>>
> >>>> 2010/7/2, Bruce Perens <bruce at perens.com>:
> >>>>
> >>>>> Nothing in your text, as presently stated, would reliably prevent
> >>>>> someone from combining the work with a GPL work and treating the
> whole
> >>>>> as if it was under the GPL. Unfortunately, you don't get that _and_
> >>>>> simplicity both. You'd have to put in more text about combining
> works,
> >>>>> the entire work being under this license, no additional
> restrictions, etc.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>> However, it won't be approved.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Fixed licence:
> >>>>
> >>>> Copyright (c) years, Company or Person's Name <E-mail address>
> >>>>
> >>>> Permission is hereby granted to use, copy, modify and/or distribute
> >>>> this source code and binary programs derived from this source code
> >>>> provided that the following conditions are met:
> >>>>
> >>>> - Redistributions of this source code must retain this licence text
> >>>>   and all copyright notices without alteration.
> >>>>
> >>>> - Redistributions of binary programs which is derived from this
> source code
> >>>> must
> >>>>   reproduce this licence text and all copyright notices in the
> >>>> documentation,
> >>>>   which must be distributed with binary programs.
> >>>>
> >>>> - If the binary program is derived from a modified version of this
> source
> >>>> code,
> >>>>   you must to publicly release the modified version of this source
> code
> >>>>   under this license.
> >>>>
> >>>> THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
> >>>> WARRANTY. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES
> >>>> ARISING FROM THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> From AnastasiyaaqZhdanova at yandex.ru Mon Jul 05 10:10:22 2010
> >>>>>
> >>>> Return-Path: <AnastasiyaaqZhdanova at yandex.ru>
> >>>> Delivered-To: nelson at desk.crynwr.com
> >>>> Received: (qmail 4765 invoked from network); 5 Jul 2010 10:10:17 -
> 0000
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> >>>> Delivered-To: nelson at crynwr.com
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> >>>> References: <1BAC4A745EB009B47A76866F70C3AFA79344EC46691A at crynwr.com>
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> >




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