Re: RPSL and DFSG-compliance

[Edmund GRIMLEY EVANS <edmundo@rano.org>]

Matthew Garrett <mgarrett@chiark.greenend.org.uk>:

> In its current form, I think there'd be few people who would accept the
> RPSL as DFSG-free. If you terminated patent grants rather than the
> copyright license, I think there'd be a sizable proportion of developers
> who would accept it as DFSG-free.

See also the "IBM Public License, Version 1.0", which GNU considers to
be free: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html

The relevant clause of that licence is:

If Recipient institutes patent litigation against a Contributor with
respect to a patent applicable to software (including a cross-claim or
counterclaim in a lawsuit), then any patent licenses granted by that
Contributor to such Recipient under this Agreement shall terminate as
of the date such litigation is filed. In addition, If Recipient
institutes patent litigation against any entity (including a
cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that the Program
itself (excluding combinations of the Program with other software or
hardware) infringes such Recipient's patent(s), then such Recipient's
rights granted under Section 2(b) shall terminate as of the date such
litigation is filed.