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Date:      09 Nov 2001 20:12:20 -0800
From:      swear@blarg.net (Gary W. Swearingen)
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org, freebsd-doc@freebsd.org
Subject:   What is FreeBSD, Inc?
Message-ID:  <s3hes36z8b.es3@localhost.localdomain>

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Much of the FreeBSD web site claims to be the property of "The FreeBSD
Project".

"The FreeBSD Copyright" at
http://www.freebsd.org/copyright/freebsd-license.html
claims that "FreeBSD, Inc." owns copyright on something, 
presumably more than that page, though it's not clear what.

"The FreeBSD Handbook" claims that "The FreeBSD Documentation Project"
owns copyright on the handbook.

The home page of freebsd.org mentions "The FreeBSD Foundation" as a
place to send money, but little more.


What or who are these four entities?  Do they have legal standing to 
own copyrights?  Who or what holds what legal paperwork?

I've looked for but not found answers at the freebsd.org web site
and in the Handbook. The latter hints that the "core team" controls the
project's direction, but curiously quotes "Board of Directors" as if it
isn't a real, legal board and says nothing of incorporation, ownership,
assets, charter/constitution, etc.

It also seems strange that the web site doesn't mention trademarks.

Shouldn't this sort of stuff be in a "Who are we?" or "Who owns
FreeBSD?" or "Legal Matters" type of web page?  Or does none of this
sort of thing influence (potential) contributors or otherwise matter 
to anyone but nitpickers?

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