From owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Jan 19 16:23:58 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A1CDF106566C for ; Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:23:58 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from code@apotheon.net) Received: from oproxy9.bluehost.com (oproxy9.bluehost.com [IPv6:2605:dc00:100:2::a2]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 60ADA8FC08 for ; Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:23:58 +0000 (UTC) Received: (qmail 13355 invoked by uid 0); 19 Jan 2012 16:23:58 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO box543.bluehost.com) (74.220.219.143) by oproxy9.bluehost.com with SMTP; 19 Jan 2012 16:23:58 -0000 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=apotheon.net; s=default; h=In-Reply-To:Content-Type:MIME-Version:References:Message-ID:Subject:To:From:Date; bh=g+NxI7bxHX8rtkDhjvW9zQPz4G8d45jvMfLT0xKbqko=; b=WydcMOJiJvbDGXTlZrPF7sXVnwFVgP8ZQdVLNikMjDQ0Zh9HjmLbPQ7WybECcNnplH8aOObuifqT7OiGYNPELYu6BO03sZTdJtegh3gUEdtp5OtU5boKI1F+Iqm6CLnQ; Received: from c-24-8-180-234.hsd1.co.comcast.net ([24.8.180.234] helo=localhost) by box543.bluehost.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES128-SHA:128) (Exim 4.76) (envelope-from ) id 1RnumG-0002UH-Vn for freebsd-ports@freebsd.org; Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:23:53 -0700 Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:23:51 -0700 From: Chad Perrin To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Message-ID: <20120119162351.GA21049@hemlock.hydra> References: <201201162339.q0GNdG1V064832@anthesphoria.net> <201201170049.q0H0nTjC065207@anthesphoria.net> <20120118093411.GA11498@mud.stack.nl> <4F1735E7.3080400@bellanet.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <4F1735E7.3080400@bellanet.org> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.21 (2010-09-15) X-Identified-User: {2737:box543.bluehost.com:apotheon:apotheon.net} {sentby:smtp auth 24.8.180.234 authed with code@apotheon.net} Subject: Re: Adding licensing info to my ports: some questions X-BeenThere: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Porting software to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:23:58 -0000 On Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 04:13:11PM -0500, Graham Todd wrote: > > I doubt this simpler approach would be "ITIL compliant" ;) but since > that is not a goal and the bulk of anything to do with licenses involves > lawyers anyway, the ports/pkg system should probably try to do as little > as possible regarding claims and interpretation. Surely keeping copies > of licenses in an easy to find location doesn't equate to making any > legal claim ? NB: I am not a lawyer :) I'm pretty dismayed by the "ignore it and it'll go away" attitude toward licensing in much of the open source world. How exactly do people think that a willful ignorance defense would in any way protect the FreeBSD project from copyright/license claims where an attempt at due diligence (that is, finding license information with the project files and making note of it in the port Makefile) to the reasonable best of our ability would somehow make the project liable? That doesn't make any sense, and unless there are some lawyers who can cite caselaw to the contrary I think the safest bet is probably an attempt to be transparent and informative, with a disclaimer attached. Of course, I'm not a lawyer either, and this is not intended as legal advice. It's just an expression of frustration at the way everybody seems to think intentionally ignoring licensing will somehow make copyright and license claims invalid. -- Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]