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www/licenses license-list.html
From: |
Richard M. Stallman |
Subject: |
www/licenses license-list.html |
Date: |
Sat, 08 Mar 2014 20:23:33 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /web/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Richard M. Stallman <rms> 14/03/08 20:23:33
Modified files:
licenses : license-list.html
Log message:
(NoLicense): Explain about US government work in the public domain
but how limited that is. Add xref to PublicDomain.
(DOR): Add this nonfree license.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/licenses/license-list.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.391&r2=1.392
Patches:
Index: license-list.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/licenses/license-list.html,v
retrieving revision 1.391
retrieving revision 1.392
diff -u -b -r1.391 -r1.392
--- license-list.html 28 Jan 2014 17:13:58 -0000 1.391
+++ license-list.html 8 Mar 2014 20:23:33 -0000 1.392
@@ -1555,11 +1555,13 @@
<p>If source code does not carry a license to give users the
four essential freedoms, it is not free software.</p>
-<p>Some developers think that code with no license is in the public
-domain. That is not true under today's copyright law; rather, all
-copyrightable works are nonfree by default. This includes programs.
-In some countries, users that download code with no license may
-infringe copyright merely by compiling it or running it.</p>
+<p>Some developers think that code with no license
+is <a href="#PublicDomain">in the public domain</a>. That is not true
+under today's copyright law; rather, all copyrightable works are
+copyrighted by default. This includes programs. Absent a license to
+grant users freedom, they don't have any. In some countries, users
+that download code with no license may infringe copyright merely by
+compiling it or running it.</p>
<p>In order for a program to be free, its copyright holders must
explicitly grant users the <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html"> four
@@ -1567,6 +1569,12 @@
a <em>free software license</em>. This is what free software
licenses are for.</p>
+<p>Code written by employees of the US government is a special
+exception, since US copyright law explicitly puts that in the public
+domain; but this does not apply to works that the US pays a company to
+write. It also does not apply to other countries, many of which do
+allow the state to have a copyright on government writings.</p>
+
<p>Some countries allow authors to put code in the public domain, but
that requires explicit action. If you wish to do that, the method we
recommend is to use <a href="#CC0">CC0</a>, which also works in other
@@ -1668,6 +1676,16 @@
additional permission for linking with nonfree programs.</p></dd>
+<dt><a id="DOR"
+ href="http://dorepository.org/download.html">
+ CNRI Digital Object Repository License Agreement</a>
+ <span class="anchor-reference-id">
+ (<a href="#DOR">#DOR</a>)</span></dt>
+<dd>
+<p>This license is non-free because of Article 3, which arguably
+includes a requirement not to violate the license of <em>any</em>
+program that the user runs—even proprietary programs.</p></dd>
+
<dt><a id="GPL-PA"
href="http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/License:GPL-PA">
GPL for Computer Programs of the Public Administration</a>
@@ -2314,7 +2332,7 @@
<p>Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2014/01/28 17:13:58 $
+$Date: 2014/03/08 20:23:33 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
- www/licenses license-list.html,
Richard M. Stallman <=