Re: [avr-libc-dev] Licensing issue

[Joerg Wunsch]

As address@hidden wrote:

> I would like to have a single text that would cover the entire
> library, so that I would not have to trace down exactly what files
> are used in each project, whatever gets linked in is
> covered. Ideally it also would be concise and not take 20 pages to
> print.

The problem is, even if I'll eventually finish that mini-project to
provide a single boiled-down version of all the individual copyright
notices, legally, you're bound to what the individual files do state.
After all, avr-libc might be a nice project, but it's not a legal
entity, so there's no other option for all the developers than putting
their name on top of the file, and copy another copyright statement
right over there.

That's the legal status.  Even for more formalized projects, like
FreeBSD (where I've spent a lot of time as well), I've seen large
companies (like Nokia) violate the very basic requirements of the (not
very strict) BSD-style copyright.  So as long as you adhere to the
spirit of the individual copyrights, and just mention a list of the
developers plus the copyright notice itself, I think you'll do a great
job on this, and nobody will sue you for that.  (So far, I didn't sue
Nokia either, even though they clearly violate at least one of my own
copyrights. ;-)

-- 
J"org Wunsch                                           Unix support engineer
address@hidden        http://www.interface-systems.de/~j/