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Date:      Thu, 7 Sep 2000 23:15:36 +0200
From:      Neil Blakey-Milner <nbm@mithrandr.moria.org>
To:        "Mr. K." <bsd@inbox.org>
Cc:        Jonathan Fosburgh <syjef@mail.mdanderson.org>, R Joseph Wright <rjoseph@mammalia.org>, freebsd-questions <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   Re: BSD license questions
Message-ID:  <20000907231536.A46319@mithrandr.moria.org>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0009071659480.3610-100000@inbox.org>; from bsd@inbox.org on Thu, Sep 07, 2000 at 05:04:14PM -0400
References:  <14775.65247.827000.782591@jef-nt.mdacc.tmc.edu> <Pine.BSF.4.21.0009071659480.3610-100000@inbox.org>

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On Thu 2000-09-07 (17:04), Mr. K. wrote:
> The question does not concern source.  It concerns distribution in binary
> without allowing redistribution.

> If the BSD licence allows you to release the code+mods in binary only
> form, what stops the end user from re-releasing the code+mods in
> binary only form?

Nothing.  If you get something distributed to you under the BSD license,
you can do whatever you like with it so long as you obey the simple
rules that are there primarily to protect the original authors from
legal liability.

> This is actually a good question, which I don't see an adequate answer
> to.  The statement was that the licence only goes one level deep, but
> that is not said in the licence itself.

The license says it quite clearly:

 * 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, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
 * 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
 *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
 *    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

It says "Redistributions in binary form", which I'm sure makes sense.
"must reproduce the above copyright..." which means it must be printed
somewhere.  It doesn't say that binary redistribution has to be under
the same license.

For source code, it says "must retain", because the copyright notice and
such are already there, so don't rip them out.  It doesn't say that this
license must affect this file.  It certainly doesn't say that this
license should affect any other file that makes up your project.

Neil
-- 
Neil Blakey-Milner
Sunesi Clinical Systems
nbm@mithrandr.moria.org


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