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Re: Question about GPL and DFSG Compatibility of a Proposed Amendment to the W3C Document Licence



Lachlan Hunt <lachlan.hunt@lachy.id.au> wrote:
> Hi,
>   The W3C and the HTML WG are currently negotiating a new copyright
>   licence for the HTML specifications, and I would like to get some
>   clarification about whether or not the proposed licence is compatible
>   with the GPL and the Debian Free Software Guidelines.
> 
> The proposed licence is Option 3, listed here.
> http://www.w3.org/2011/03/html-license-options.html#option3

For posterity, I am attaching the complete copy of the three options.
In a followup email I will analyze them.

Cheers,
Walter Landry
wlandry@caltech.edu

Option 1
--------
Copyright © 2011 W3C® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio).

W3C liability and trademark rules apply.

As a whole, this document may be used according to the terms of the
W3C Document License. In addition:

    * To facilitate implementation of the technical specifications set
      forth in this document, anyone may prepare and distribute
      derivative works and portions of this document in software, in
      supporting materials accompanying software, and in documentation
      of software, PROVIDED that all such works include the notice
      below. HOWEVER, the publication of derivative works of this
      document for use as a technical specification is expressly
      prohibited.
    * Furthermore, all code, pseudo-code, schema, data tables,
      cascading style sheets, and interface definition language is
      licensed under the W3C Software License, LGPL 2.1, and MPL 1.1.

The notice is:

    "Copyright © 2011 W3C® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio). This software or
    document includes material copied from or derived from [title and
    URI of the W3C document]."


Option 2
--------
Copyright © 2011 W3C ® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio), All Rights Reserved. W3C
liability and trademark rules apply. The W3C Document License applies
to this document as a whole; however, to facilitate implementation of
the technical specifications set forth in this document you may:

   1. copy and modify, without limitation, any code, pseudo-code,
      schema, data tables, cascading style sheets, interface
      definition language, and header text in this document in source
      code for implementation of the technical specifications, and

   2. copy and modify reasonable portions of this document for
      inclusion in software such as, for example, in source code
      comments, commit messages, documentation of software, test
      materials, user-interface messages, and supporting materials
      accompanying software, all in accordance with good software
      engineering practices, and

   3. include reasonable portions of this document in research
      materials and publications.

You may distribute, under any license, the portions used, copied, or
modified in accordance with the terms set forth above.

Copying, republication, or distribution of any portion of this
document must include the following notice:

    "Copyright © 2011 W3C ® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio). Includes material
    copied from or derived from [title and URI of the W3C document]."


Option 3
--------
Copyright © 2011 W3C® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio).

W3C liability and trademark rules apply.

As a whole, this document may be used according to the terms of the
W3C Document License. In addition:

    * To facilitate implementation of the technical specifications set
      forth in this document, anyone may prepare and distribute
      derivative works and portions of this document in software, in
      supporting materials accompanying software, and in documentation
      of software, PROVIDED that all such works include the notice
      below.
    * Furthermore, all code, pseudo-code, schema, data tables,
      cascading style sheets, and interface definition language is
      licensed under the W3C Software License, LGPL 2.1, and MPL 1.1.

The notice is:

    "Copyright © 2011 W3C® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio). This software or
    document includes material copied from or derived from [title and
    URI of the W3C document]."


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