Re: Termination clauses, was: Choice of venue

[Brian Thomas Sniffen <bts@alum.mit.edu>]

Edmund GRIMLEY EVANS <edmundo@rano.org> writes:

> Brian Thomas Sniffen <bts@alum.mit.edu>:
>
>> I'd be particularly interested to hear your comments on the asymmetry
>> issue, which is most closely tied to a DFSG point:
>
> Which DFSG point?

3. Derived Works: The license must allow modifications and derived
   works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms
   as the license of the original software.

I can't take two different QPL'd works and combine them -- this
doesn't make them non-free, but it should make us awfully suspicious.
The patch clause would make combination difficult, conflicting choice
of venue clauses would make it worrisome, but I don't have the right to
give rights to my modifications to either initial author.

Even if I'm only making changes to one QPL'd work, and own the rights
to everything else involved, I can't distribute that under the same
license as I received the code.  I have to distribute it under a
license where the *initial* author gets a proprietary license to my
work, and that of other developers who come later.

But I don't get a license to do proprietary things from the initial
developer.  And I don't get to require one from later developers,
because of QPL 6b.  It says that further recipients must be able to
distribute modified versions to anyone they choose, but they can't
choose whether to distribute to the original author -- so I can't
distribute at all under clause 6 -- so modifications are OK, but
"items" are not.

-Brian

-- 
Brian Sniffen                                       bts@alum.mit.edu