Date: 04 May 2003 11:55:56 -0700 From: swear@attbi.com (Gary W. Swearingen) To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: open source license with 24 month proprietary clause Message-ID: <rusmru1qyr.mru@localhost.localdomain> In-Reply-To: <3EB4D079.26872.32A7E84C@localhost> References: <3EB4D079.26872.32A7E84C@localhost>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
> > Has anyone heard of an open source license where new code based on it can > > be kept proprietary for 24 months? The copyleftists consider that any GPL-incompatible open source license keeps code proprietary for 24 months (and more). I'd hope that BSD and X11 (and other non-GNU) developers would consider that the GPL keeps code proprietary for 24 months (and more). But according to the many dictionaries I've checked (excepting the copyleftist Hackers Dictionary) licenses have nothing to do with whether the code is kept proprietary. Copyright law keeps it proprietary until the code enters the public domain through copyright expiration or owners' irreversible waiver of all rights. (End of sermon.) Have I heard of an open-source license where the license to derive does not take effect until after 24 months? Not exactly, but... I've read in -chat that the Softupdate code had a relatively severe license for a while, but I don't know if that was built into the original license, or handled by a scheduled license change. There's a story about O'Reily using a licenses with the original, 1790, copyright duration. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/05/02/1557253&mode=thread&tid=188&tid=192 Randolph (Randy) Bentson's "Inside Linux" book is covered by typical implied licenses until 2010 when the GPL will kick in, says the book.
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?rusmru1qyr.mru>