Re: Questions about libntru license/ntru patent status

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay responding: I've been traveling, then sick.

On patents: Yes, the license at https://github.com/NTRUOpenSourceProject/ntru-crypto/blob/master/LICENSE.md grants a license to use the patents under GPL v2 or higher.

On the FOSS Exception, https://github.com/NTRUOpenSourceProject/ntru-crypto/blob/master/FOSS%20Exception.md: the intent here is to protect the effectiveness of the GPL. As noted, clause 2b requires that "The Derivative Work does not include any work licensed under the GPL other than the GPLed NTRU". The idea of this is that it prevents someone from creating a Derivative Work that is simply two GPLed modules stuck together under a more permissive license, which would be possible if it were not for this clause, and which would circumvent the intent of the GPL.

(For background, this was derived from https://www.mysql.com/about/legal/licensing/foss-exception/)

Currently, I don't see any mention of GPL or of a FOSS Exception in the Tor License, https://gitweb.torproject.org/tor.git/plain/LICENSE. That implies that Tor could if it wanted to incorporate libntruencrypt under this FOSS Exception, but that would prevent it from incorporating any other GPL library.

The alternative that Ian mentioned, http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#GPLIncompatibleLibs, is more of a whitelist approach. If that'd be easier we can make that licensing statement, though I think the current FOSS exception actually covers Tor's requirements.

Thoughts?

Cheers,

William

On Sat, Feb 27, 2016 at 10:54 AM, Jim Wright <jim.wright@oracle.com> wrote:

Do not give up hope, no change has yet occurred, and more voices calling attention to the problematic consequences of this choice may yet change their minds. :-)

> I have also repeatedly written to them in order to recommend the
> adoption of the 3-clause BSD license [2], the Expat license [3], or the
> zlib license [4].
>
> [2] https://spdx.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause
> [3] http://www.jclark.com/xml/copying.txt
> [4] http://www.zlib.net/zlib_license.html
>
> I have never received any reply whatsoever... :-(
>
>
> --
> http://www.inventati.org/frx/
> There's not a second to spare! To the laboratory!
> ..................................................... Francesco Poli .
> GnuPG key fpr == CA01 1147 9CD2 EFDF FB82 3925 3E1C 27E1 1F69 BFFE