From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Nov 30 15:29:26 2005 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D43EC16A41F for ; Wed, 30 Nov 2005 15:29:26 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from jas@extundo.com) Received: from yxa.extundo.com (178.230.13.217.in-addr.dgcsystems.net [217.13.230.178]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CFD0243D49 for ; Wed, 30 Nov 2005 15:29:22 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from jas@extundo.com) Received: from latte.josefsson.org (h234n2c1o1033.bredband.skanova.com [81.225.105.234]) (authenticated bits=0) by yxa.extundo.com (8.13.4/8.13.4/Debian-3) with ESMTP id jAUFTGMW003570 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:29:17 +0100 From: Simon Josefsson To: "Ted Mittelstaedt" References: OpenPGP: id=B565716F; url=http://josefsson.org/key.txt X-Hashcash: 1:21:051130:tedm@toybox.placo.com::aPod9hxaBQGkdkJo:Lym X-Hashcash: 1:21:051130:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org::JQ8YrjCbMvJJQ14r:4Ugj Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:28:55 +0100 In-Reply-To: (Ted Mittelstaedt's message of "Tue, 22 Nov 2005 01:48:19 -0800") Message-ID: User-Agent: Gnus/5.110004 (No Gnus v0.4) Emacs/22.0.50 (gnu/linux) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Spam-Status: No, score=1.3 required=5.0 tests=AWL, BAYES_00, FORGED_RCVD_HELO, RCVD_IN_NJABL_DUL,RCVD_IN_SORBS_DUL autolearn=no version=3.1.0 X-Spam-Level: * X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.0 (2005-09-13) on yxa-iv X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV version 0.84, clamav-milter version 0.84e on yxa.extundo.com X-Virus-Status: Clean Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Proposed license for IETF Contributions X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 15:29:26 -0000 "Ted Mittelstaedt" writes: >>Please provide me with a reference for this. >> > > > http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#wnp > > Under the subheading: > > WHAT IS NOT PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT? > > "Works consisting entirely of information that is common property and > containing no original authorship" It continues: (for example: standard calendars, height and weight charts, tape measures and rulers, and lists or tables taken from public documents or other common sources) IETF documents are more technical than that, and they are usually the first instance in history where that precise technical invention is described. That material does not qualify as common property. > In short, all you have to do is have the author of whatever IETF standard > simply declare > his ENTIRE standard description as common property, and instantly it's > not copyrightable, > thus you now have no issue. Except that I believe some IETF authors would not agree to putting their work into the public domain. I'm trying to create a license that I believe would be acceptable to IETF contributors, and make it aligned with BSD/GPL licenses. Thanks, Simon