Re: Licensing Issues

[Gregory John Casamento]

See below...

--- Riccardo <multix@ngi.it> wrote:

> Hmm,
> 
> I'm not a legal expert at all and Licenses have caused me headache more 
> than one time...
> On Friday, February 25, 2005, at 10:44 PM, britt creamer wrote:
> 
> > base/Source/NSNotificationQueue.m         has Copyright 1995, 1996 
<snip>
> > gui/Source/tiff.m                                      has 2 Copyrights 
> > of concern: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Sam Leffler
> >                                                                          
> >                                 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Silicon 
> > Graphics, Inc.
> 
> <cut>
> >
> > Question for First Issue:
> > Is it possible to have all non FSF Copyright names removed from all 
> > GNUstep code for this concern?
> 
> I think not. I refer to the Tiff library for example. It was developed 
> by SGI. So any program that uses that code refers to that copyright. And 
> that are almost all programs I know of, including commercial ones.

The SGI code was made public domain, as Adam previously described.  By
definition, when something is public domain the copyright holder has
surrendered claim on it and it is free for the use of the public in any way,
shape or form without royalty.  Including it's ability to be incorporated into
larger works.
 
> The second point is that this thinking will prevent you to use a lot of 
> GPL/LGPL code (or BSD too). You have to sign and transfer the copyright 
> of your application to FSF after applying for it.
> I for example release PRICE under GPL, but my name appears in the 
> copyright, since I did not transfer (C) to fsf.
> 
> SO I suppose anyone that takes some imaging code out of price and puts 
> it in GNUstep, provided the license is compatible, should retain my 
> Copyright. Or am I wrong here?

Yes, you are wrong. ;)

GNUstep and other GNU projects must have the copyright transferred to the FSF.
For non-GNU GPL projects, it's okay for you to retain your copyright, but for
code contributed to a GNU project you must provide an assignment which
transfers the copyright from you to the FSF, unless you release the code into
the public domain (as with tiff.m).  

> Maybe some of the people who are core GNUstep developers might  cast 
> light on this matter.
> --R

:) See above.

Later, GJC

=====
Gregory John Casamento 
-- CEO/President Open Logic Corp. (A MD Corp.)
## Maintainer of Gorm (IB Equiv.) for GNUstep.