Re: License check for a new(ly modified) license..

[Sam Hocevar <sam@hocevar.net>]

On Mon, Sep 26, 2011, Francesco Poli wrote:

> >   Added Sam, and I hope he doesn't mind, as I think he's the one which can
> >   give the best answer to this.
> 
> That's OK with me.
> 
> > On Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:29:20 +0200
> > Francesco Poli <invernomuto@paranoici.org> wrote:
> > 
> > > >          DO WHATEVER THE DUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE
> > > >                     Version 3, September 2011
> > > >              Copyright (C) 2011 Felyza Wishbringer  
> > > 
> > > I think you should also acknowledge the original license text's
> > > copyright holder with an appropriate copyright notice (Copyright (C)
> > > 2004 Sam Hocevar <sam@hocevar.net>).
> > 
> >   Really? My reading of WTFPL is that you have to precisely remove Sam's
> >   name and put the name of who is licensing: "and changing it is allowed as
> >   long as the name is changed."
> 
> I thought that "name" was referring to the license name, not to the
> license author's name.
> But let's see what Sam has to say about this...

   Yes, it's unfortunate that a lot of WTFPL software also bears my
copyright. I could transfer the copyright for the WTFPL to another
entity for clarification.

> >   License, as I read it, has no copyright for itself, which sounds pretty
> >   logical given its spirit :)
> 
> Regardless of any consideration about the license spirit, I read the
> copyright notice (Copyright (C) 2004 Sam Hocevar <sam@hocevar.net>) as
> applying to the license text, not to the licensed work.
> 
> See for instance
> http://packages.debian.org/changelogs/pool/main/t/toilet/toilet_0.2-1/toilet.copyright
> where two separate copyright notices appear, with two different years.
> I interpret them as being one for the toilet program and one for the
> license text.

   Yes, I believe Francesco's understanding of the licence terms are
correct to the extent that they perfectly match my view.

   Note that anyone unhappy with the terms of the WTFPL because of the
complex wording or for any other reason can relicence the software under
almost any licence of their choice without having to ask for permission.

-- 
Sam.