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Re: Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents




"Simon Josefsson" <simon@josefsson.org> wrote in message [🔎] 87myku2hvd.fsf@mocca.josefsson.org">news:[🔎] 87myku2hvd.fsf@mocca.josefsson.org...
All,

The IETF Trust has requested feedback on the license for IETF RFCs, see
announcement below.

As we know, they have decided not to release entire RFCs under DFSG
terms.  The intention is to allow code-like portions to be licensed
under a BSD-like license.

It would be useful if we can review the license for the code-like
portions, to make sure that it meets the requirements of the DFSG.  It
will be harder to change this wording later on.

In this context, I'm worried about one thing:

Section 5 "Supersedure" says that the code-license can be superseded
later on.  How does Debian treat license text that says some code is
released under the BSD license with the caveat that the license can be
changed later on?  The section does limit the superseding to be for
those in writing between the IETF Trust and the licensee, but the
question may still be relevant.


If any end user or upstream wishes to enter into an agreement with the IETF to have different code section licesning terms, that is their business, and I do not see how that applies to the other users. The existing license grant should still be valid, since the others did not enter into an agreement superceding the original.

That whole clause is most likely legally a no-op, since my undertstanding is that a license can always be superceded by written agrement between the involved parties.

IANAL, IANADD


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