Re: New BitTorrent License Preview
El miércoles, 5 de octubre de 2005 a las 19:12:00 -0400, Joe Smith escribía:
> >Does this mean that I cannot sell it unless I or anyone else in the world
> >has modified it? Isn't that stipulation a bit stupid?
> I read this as saying you may not sell etc. the original work unless it
> contains some modifications.
> Any modification is acceptable, be it by you or any other party.
Actually, only modifications that improve the program or add to its
functionality (or makes the program add to the functionality of another
work) substantially.
This means that the trick that has been used to circunvent other "don't
sell" clauses (which I don't like -- the trick and the clauses) and
distribute the software in main would not work anymore.
> >Moreover: "Additionally, without limitation of the foregoing and
> >notwithstanding any provision of this License to the contrary, you cannot
> >charge for, sell, license or sublicense for a fee, accept donations or
> >otherwise receive compensation for the Source Code."
> The clause basically says that you may not charge for the source CDs,
> however AFAICT, this does not prevent you from charging for Binary CDs.
Yes, if they contain an unmodified copy of BitTorrent.
> It has the effect of saying that you must not charge anything for the
> source alone, but you may charge for the source in conjunction with the
> binary.
No, you cannot charge anything for the source. If you include binaries,
you're charging for the binary, not the source. It may be nitpicking but
always keep it in mind.
> This can be avoided by doing what is a good idea anyway: Always
> include the source CDs with debian binary cds, and don't sell the source
> cds seperate.
Debian does not stipulate that source CDs must be sold alongside binary
CDs.
Anyway, I can think of another scenario where this clause is a nuisance:
you live in a country where international bandwidth is scarce and expensive
(so you cannot download the program) but domestic bandwidth is free (so the
program is still useful to you), so you ask me to burn a copy of the source
code and mail it to you. The license forbids me to have you pay me the costs
of the CD and the mailing, or even to accept a drink next time we meet!
The license would make you an egotistic "friend", in other words ;-)
--
Jacobo Tarrío | http://jacobo.tarrio.org/
Reply to: