[fwd] Re: [Freesw] Information about implementation of IST programme support to free / open source software has been updated (from: Bernard.Lang at inria.fr)

[Werner Koch]

Hi,

sorry for forwarding this, but I am not sure how many of you are on
the freesw list.  The first remark seems to be quite interesting.

  Werner
  
  
----- Forwarded message from Bernard Lang <Bernard.Lang at inria.fr> -----

Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2000 23:50:10 +0100
From: Bernard Lang <Bernard.Lang at inria.fr>
To: freesw at conecta.it
Subject: Re: [Freesw] Information about implementation of IST programme support to free / open source software  has been updated

On Mon, Dec 04, 2000 at 05:40:52PM +0100, Bud P. Bruegger wrote:
> At 01:19 PM 04-12-00 +0100, Bernard Lang wrote:
> 
> >Interesting
> >
> >   it is a transitivity issue, independent of the goodwill of new
> >programmers, as long as they reuse old code.
> >
> >   this actually relates to the fact that ALL licences want to impose
> >their view, in a very exclusive way.
> 
> I don't understand it this way.  In my understanding the GPL is different 
> here from other licenses, as it mandates the combined work (that has to be 
> distributed under the GPL as anyone knows...) to not include any additional 
> licensing restrictions as compared to the GPL.  Since advertisement clauses 
> (and I believe credit files that need to be redistributed) are not part of 
> the GPL, they are considered additional restrictions.


My mistake ...

Well ...

2 remarks from info that came up recently


- I learned that a licence like the BSD licence may be invalid in
France, possibly in other countries.
  The reason is that it renounces rights without any commitment from
those who receive it, no compensation of any sort to the author.
Apparently this has no legal value in France because it is unilateral.
Nothing in the law says that one can add to the public domain of his
own free will.
  On the other hand, the GPL (other licences possibly), because they
impose serous constraints, which can result in a return advantage for
the author (he benefits from improvements ... I may not have the legal
details exactly right) is OK.

- another issue is that some people are suggesting to make free code
immune to patent infringement suits.  However their suggestion is to
allow this only for GPL like licences (not LGPL for example) to
garantee that it is used only in free software.  They may have othe
thing in mind ... I did not get all details.


This is given without personnal opinion on the matter (yet)
as a piece of information.

and thanks to Bud P. Bruegger for the detailed reply


Bernard



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