Re: GDAL HDF4 (HDF-EOS) driver license
On Jan 8, 2008 11:05 AM, Ivan Shmakov <ivan@theory.asu.ru> wrote:
> It may be my english skills that are failing me, but is that
> ``without fee'' piece DFSG-compliant, or not?
>
> Permission to use, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation
> for any purpose without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
> copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and
> this permission notice appear in supporting documentation.
I think this is fine. Similar wording is found in a number of licences
(including some parts of QT and Python). Personally I think it is very
poor drafting as it does cause confusion over what "without fee" is
referring to.
However, as in other similar cases, it seems clear that the wording
means you are permitted to use, modify or distribute the software
without having to pay a fee to the licensor. It does not mean that you
are prohibited from charging a fee yourself for any use, modification
or distribution of the software. So this is DFSG-free.
John
(TINLA)
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