Subject: Re: what happened to the lm75(?) driver?
To: Greg A. Woods <woods@weird.com>
From: None <itojun@iijlab.net>
List: tech-kern
Date: 09/13/1999 10:49:48
>I've attached the most recent revision of the copyright license I'm
>using for my work these days. If someone can point out what this
>license makes third party users of the code do that TNF is unwilling to
>force them to do, and if they can point out some way to re-write these
>terms so that my name is included in some way in every distribution
>(binary or source) as a contributor (and hopefully in some way that
>shows what part I've contributed) [while at the same time ensuring that
>the code is otherwise freely redistributable and that derivative works
>are plainly marked, etc.] and yet make the terms acceptable to TNF, then
>I'll be more than happy to consider making the appropriate changes.
>
>If my desire to retain my copyright and to have my name mentioned as a
>contributor is for some reason now contrary to the new requirements of
>TNF then I guess there might not be very much room to compromise.
Attached is a text related to this issue, which I wish to place
onto http://www.netbsd.org/developers/foo.html. Hope this helps.
My take is that, advertising clause do not help both parties
(third party and developers themselves), this comes with too high cost.
Though I've got some comment on it the text needs more improvement.
I need your comments and suggetsions.
Please move to some other mailing list, if we need to continue this
discussion. This apparently is not an tech-kern issue.
itojun
---
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<head>
<!-- Copyright (c) 1998, 1999 The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. -->
<link rev="made" href="mailto:www@NetBSD.ORG">
<title>NetBSD Developer Documentation: copyright notices on source code</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<h1>NetBSD Developer Documentation: copyright notices on source code</h1>
<p>
The source code in the NetBSD CVS repository contains a variety of
copyright clauses. There is a project on the way to clean up and
organize those copyrights. Unfortunately, progress has been really
slow. The problem is that there are many different copyright notices
and it has been difficult to reach each developer and get a written
form of copyright reassignment. To slowly remedy the situation and
make the NetBSD source easier to be used by third parties, are
currently endorsing the copyright policy described below.
This note explains the copyright policy and the rationale behind
it.</p>
<h2>Berkeley vs. GNU Licensing</h2>
<p>
The NetBSD Foundation (TNF) uses a form of the Standard Berkeley
copyright that allows free redistribution of source and binaries
in modified or unmodified form.
</p>
<p>
Out of necessity (there are no replacement programs with the
appropriate functionality), TNF is distributing sources that have
the GNU General Public License (GPL) copyrights; such code is
restricted to user-land programs and is segregated under a single
directory (gnu).
TNF is trying to limit the use of GPL programs where possible. Also,
the use of GPL'ed code is limited to userland; there will be no
GPL code in the kernel.
</p>
<h2>More detail on Berkeley-like copyright</h2>
<p>
There are two set of Berkeley-like copyrighted sources:
<ol>
<li>source codes copyrighted by TNF (contributed to TNF), and
<li>source codes copyrighted by the author.
</ol>
To clarify the project encourages developers to assign copyrights to
TNF, but accepts code from developers that wish to retain their
copyright, as long as that the copyright notice does not have
an advertising clause (the "3rd clause"). TNF is working towards
eliminating the advertising clause on all non-TNF copyrighted code.
</p>
<p>
The rationale for this decision is that the advertising clause puts
a very big burden to third party distributors who have to make sure
that all copyright lists are complete and include 100's of lines
of copyright attributions with their distributions.
</p>
<p>
In addition, when the advertising clause gets violated, it has been
up to the copyright holders to protect their copyrights. In all
cases so far - except from the occasional e-mail flamewar - there
has been no legal followup. It is also very costly if each developer
has to check each distribution for proper attributions.
</p>
<h2>Templates for preferred copyright notices</h2>
<p>
If you contribute the source codes to TNF:
<pre>
/*
* Copyright (c) YEAR The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.
* All rights reserved.
*
* This code is derived from software contributed to The NetBSD Foundation
* by John Doe <john@doe.com>
*
* Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
* modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
* are met:
* 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
* 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
* documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
* 3. Neither the name of The NetBSD Foundation nor the names of its
* contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
* from this software without specific prior written permission.
*
* THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE NETBSD FOUNDATION, INC. AND CONTRIBUTORS
* ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
* TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
* PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE FOUNDATION OR CONTRIBUTORS
* BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
* CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
* SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
* INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
* CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
* ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
* POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
*/
</pre>
</p>
<p>
If you would like to remain as copyright holder:
<pre>
/*
* Copyright (c) YEAR John Doe.
* All rights reserved.
*
* Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
* modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
* are met:
* 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
* 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
* documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
* 3. Neither the name of the author(s) nor the names of its
* contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
* from this software without specific prior written permission.
*
* THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR(S) AND CONTRIBUTORS
* ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
* TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
* PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR(S) OR CONTRIBUTORS
* BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
* CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
* SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
* INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
* CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
* ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
* POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
*/
</pre>
</p>
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