On Monday 16 April 2007 17:56, lolo wrote:
Hi,
I have some doubts about licensing which i didn't find them solved reading the gnu.org's site and i thought of asking them here because maybe replies can be added there later... (maybe i haven't find the proper urls and maybe i'm asking dumb/repetitive questions...ignore and sorry if so)
Multilicensing: 1-Could i license something under 2 diferent copyleft compatible licenses?
1.1-Could i license something under 2 copyleft uncompatible licenses?
1.1.1-If so, Could i also add a third one to the same document?
1.1.2-Could i also license it with a fourth free, non-copyleft, gpl compatible one?
I'm not a lawyer, but if I'm mistaken, I'm sure someone will correct me :)
You, as the author, can use as many licenses for your own work as you want. Just make sure you have the rights to do so, for example the approval of other co-authors. In some countries additional aspects have to be considered by employees.
I just don't think that it makes much sense to use multiple licenses for the same work (e.g. GPL + BSD + Proprietary-World-Domination-License for the source-code). Some companies use dual-license strategy (GPL + proprietary/closed-source license) so they can match different users' requirements, along some other aspects. I have some problems to imagine the benefit of a BSD + proprietary/closed-source license since BSD license would not prevent a licensee from using it for the purpose for which you may want to use the other license.
Re-licensing: Project 'a' was GPL when it was 1.1, now is 2.2 and has changed into LGPL, ok?
Project 'b' was GFDL and now hasn't got any license displayed, ok?
Project 'c' was GFDL and they changed the license banner into another copyleft uncompatible one, ok?
As far as you are talking about your own work, re-licensing is the same as with multiple licenses. You can change the license for any release you make. But be aware that you can't re-license any work that already has been licensed to a licensee. If 1.1 is released under GPL any licensee can modify, re-distribute, etc. this 1.1 again under GPL, whatever license you use for the 1.2 or 2.2.
The same applies for project 'c'. You take the last version licensed under GFDL, modify it and release it yourself under GFDL.
BTW: GFDL is for documentation. :)
Best regards, Anastasios