Re: BSD-like licensed files in XEmacs Packages?
Mats Lidell <matsl(a)xemacs.org> writes:
>>>>> Stephen J Turnbull <stephen(a)xemacs.org>
writes:
> If the license is GPL-degradable, we really ought to just degrade to
> GPL and add a pointer in the documentation to the distribution with
> a more permissive license
Looking further at the go-lang license it looks very much like the
Modified BSD license which is compatible with GNU GPL. As such it
ought to be possible to use together with GPLed code, combine in a
program, and the whole will be under the GPL.
How to do this in practice is another thing. I hope adding the
go-lang-mode to prog-modes, with the Modified BSD license text in the
header will suffice.
On the other, since the go-lang mode is supposed to be used by Emacs,
maybe the go team might consider releasing it under the GPLv3 or
later. I'll check.
Releasing the file under GPLv3 should be within your rights. It is,
however, somewhat pointless, as you don't have standing to sue for
copyright violation when you don't own any copyright in the file,
anyway. So even if you nominally release the unmodified file under
GPLv3, it stays essentially MBSD, since violating the MBSD is the only
thing for which people can reasonably be sued with regard to that file.
--
David Kastrup
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