Re: ad hoc license: is it DFSG-conformant ?
Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au> writes:
> Permission is hereby given for the use, distribution and
> modification of this software subject to the following.
> * You must include this copyright notice with all distributed
> copies of this software, including modified copies.
> * You must clearly mark modified versions of this software
> as differing from the original.
This is (as the OP says) a roll-your-own license text, not really
matching any widely-understood license text.
The conditions seem to be aiming for a more limited derivative of the
Apache License: only the conditions of attribution, and notification
that a work is modified from the original. Neither of those restrictions
is a problem for software freedom under the DFSG.
One significant lack is that the permissions do not include explicit
permission for a recipient to license the work to third parties under
the same conditions. This fails DFSG §3.
So I think this work is not free software by the DFSG.
The copyright holder would be well advised to choose an already
widely-understood free-software license text, and grant recipients
freedom under that license.
For the apparent intent of the copyright holder, I would recommend they
should grant recipients of the work the Apache License 2.0
<URL:https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.txt> by following the
“How to apply the license to your work” instructions.
--
\ “Leave nothing to chance. Overlook nothing. Combine |
`\ contradictory observations. Allow yourself enough time.” |
_o__) —Hippocrates |
Ben Finney
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