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Date:      Thu, 2 Jul 1998 14:45:42 -0700 (PDT)
From:      Jason Evans <jasone@canonware.com>
To:        freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Q: FBSD license and multiple copyright holders
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.3.96.980702132919.6175G-100000@orkan.canonware.com>

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I've been working (alone up to now) on SQRL (http://www.sqrl.org/sqrl), an
SQL RDBMS.  I'm using the FBSD license, and now with the potential of
having more than one copyright holder, I'm wondering how to satisfy the
license requirements (license shown and explained at
http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/handbook279.html).

So, two different questions:

1) Does the modified license shown below still hold water without changing
   the basic gist of the license?

2) If there are various sets of of authors for a set of files, how can the
   second condition of the FBSD copyright be met?  Does the entire license 
   have to be reproduced for each unique set of authors, or can they be
   merged?

As the standard FBSD license reads, it seems to me that anyone who
distributes a binary-only FreeBSD-based product is legally required to
print reams of copyright notices in the documentation.  That sucks for the
distributor and for the customers.

I realize I'm asking legal questions of non-lawyers, but hopefully this
very issue has been dealt with by people here.  It is not my intention to
release SQRL in a binary-only format, but I want it to be easy for others
to do so.

Thanks,
Jason

Jason Evans
Email: [jasone@canonware.com]
Web: [http://www.canonware.com/~jasone]
Home phone: [(650) 856-8204]
Work phone: [(408) 774-8007]
Quote: ["Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" - Thomas Edison]

All changes are pointed out by "^" or ">".
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Copyright (c) 1996-1998 Jason Evans <jasone@canonware.com>.  
>                        All rights reserved.
>Copyright (c) 1998 Joe Schmo <joes@nowhere.fake>.  All rights reserved.
>Copyright (c) 1996, 1998 Jack Daniels <drunk@idunno.where>.
>                         All rights reserved.

     Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
     modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
     are met:
     1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
        notice(s), this list of conditions and the following disclaimer as
        ^^^^^^^^^
>       the first lines of this file, unmodified other than the possible
>	addition of one or more copyright notices.
     2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
        notice(s), this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in
        ^^^^^^^^^
        the  documentation and/or other materials provided with the
	distribution.

     THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER(S) ``AS IS'' AND ANY
                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
     EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE 
     IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR 
     PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER(S) BE
                                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
     LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
     CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
     SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR 
     BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY,
     WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE
     OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE,
     EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------



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