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OGSA-DAI licence and copyright

Licence

From December 2008, all OGSA-DAI project software is released under the Apache 2.0 licence.

Prior to December 2008, all OGSA-DAI project software was released under the OGSA-DAI software licence.

Code and documentation are copyright:

Copyright (c) International Business Machines Corporation, 2002-2004.

Copyright (c) The University of Edinburgh, 2002-2009.

Frequently asked questions

OGSA-DAI software and components from December 2008 are released under an Apache 2.0 licence. This FAQ is intended for developers using or extending OGSA-DAI. It has been derived from questions about the Apache 2.0 licence available at

We have made the text more OGSA-DAI-specific.

Original content is Copyright (c) 2008 The Apache Software Foundation, Licenced under the Apache Licence, Version 2.0.

Changes are Copyright (c) 2009 The OGSA-DAI Project, Licenced under the Apache Licence, Version 2.0.

It is important to bear in mind that:

"Describing legal documents in non-legalese is fraught with potential for misinterpretation. Notwithstanding the text that follows, the actual text of the license itself is legally binding and authoritative."

What does the licence allow me to to?

The Apache 2.0 licence allows you to:

  • Freely download and use OGSA-DAI software, in whole or in part, for personal, company internal, or commercial purposes;
  • Use OGSA-DAI software in packages or distributions that you create.

It forbids you to:

  • Redistribute any piece of OGSA-DAI-originated software without proper attribution;
  • Use any marks owned by The OGSA-DAI Project in any way that might state or imply that The OGSA-DAI Project endorses your distribution;
  • Use any marks owned by The OGSA-DAI Project in any way that might state or imply that you created the software in question.

It requires you to:

  • Include a copy of the licence in any redistribution you may make that includes OGSA-DAI software;
  • Provide clear attribution to The OGSA-DAI Project for any distributions that include OGSA-DAI software.

It does not require you to:

  • Include the source of the OGSA-DAI software itself, or of any modifications you may have made to it, in any redistribution you may assemble that includes it;
  • Submit changes that you make to the software back to The OGSA-DAI Project (though such feedback is encouraged).

Is there a fee for using OGSA-DAI software in a commercial product?

No. We do not distinguish between personal, internal, or commercial use of our software. Packaging and redistribution of any of it is subject to the terms of our licence, however.

I've made improvements to the OGSA-DAI code; may I distribute the modified result?

Absolutely - subject to the terms of the Apache licence, of course. You can give your modified code away for free, or sell it, or keep it to yourself, or whatever you like. Just remember that the original code is still covered by the Apache licence and you must comply with its terms. Even if you change every single line of the Apache code you're using, the result is still based on The OGSA-DAI Project's licenced code. You may distribute the result under a different licence, but you need to acknowledge the use of The OGSA-DAI Project's software. To do otherwise would be stealing.

If you think your changes would be found useful by others, though, we do encourage you to submit them to The OGSA-DAI Project for possible inclusion.

I have made changes to an OGSA-DAI package and I want to distribute them. Do I need to contribute them to The OGSA-DAI Project?

No. You can keep your changes a secret if you like. Maybe your modifications are embarrassing, maybe you'll get rich selling those improvements. Whatever. But please seriously consider giving your changes back! We all benefit when you do.

May I translate the Apache licence into my local language for my redistribution of OGSA-DAI packages?

Yes, you may translate the licence text into your local language. However, any such translated text is only for the convenience of understanding, and is not legally binding. Only the English-language version of the licence, which you must continue to include in your packaging, is authoritative and applicable in case legal interpretation is required.

Is the Apache licence compatible with the GPL (GNU Public Licence)?

From the Free Software Foundation website:

Apache Licence, Version 2.0 "This is a free software license, compatible with version 3 of the GPL. Please note that this license is not compatible with GPL version 2, because it has some requirements that are not in the older version. These include certain patent termination and indemnification provisions."

I have written OGSA-DAI-compliant components and wish to release OGSA-DAI components with these. Can I release my components under the GNU Public Licence?

Yes you can release your components under the GPL.

However, if you have customised OGSA-DAI source code or need to bundle OGSA-DAI source or binary code (JARs) then these remain subject to the Apache 2.0 licence. And, it must be made very clear in your releases that the OGSA-DAI components have their own licence and any changes or derivations based on that are subject to the Apache 2.0 licence. Of course, if you're only bundling OGSA-DAI JARs it isn't quite so problematic but these JARs are still governed by the OGSA-DAI licence.

So basically, bundling all your code together with OGSA-DAI code or JARs and sticking in a single GPL licence is not enough. You will need to provide the Apache 2.0 licence also.

Will OGSA-DAI ever be GPL?

No.

Is 'OGSA-DAI' a trademark?

'OGSA-DAI' is a registered UK trademark of The University of Edinburgh and is usable by others only with express permission from The OGSA-DAI Project. References to this should be acknowledged with text resembling, 'OGSA-DAI is a trademark of The OGSA-DAI Project, and is used with permission.' This is not necessary in the case of all-inclusive attribution language such as, 'All marks are the properties of their respective owners.' Contact The OGSA-DAI Project (info@…) with all enquiries regarding trademark issues.

May I call my modified code 'OGSA-DAI'?

In a word, no. You must not use the OGSA-DAI name or logo in any way that states or implies, or can be interpreted as stating or implying, that the final product is endorsed or created or supported by The OGSA-DAI Project. What does this mean? Well, for example if you were to produce activities for data transformation or a GUI-based configuration you must not release these as:

  • "OGSA-DAI activities for data transformation"
  • "OGSA-DAI GUI configuration manager"

However, the following would be acceptable:

  • "Data transformation activities for OGSA-DAI"
  • "OGSA-DAI-compliant activities for data transformation"
  • "GUI configuration manager for OGSA-DAI"
  • "Project X's GUI configuration manager for OGSA-DAI".

To summarise, phrasing such as "based on OGSA-DAI", "compliant with OGSA-DAI", "powered by OGSA-DAI", "OGSA-DAI compliant", "for OGSA-DAI" are all acceptable.

If you wish to use a name including any of The OGSA-DAI Project's marks, such as the word 'OGSA-DAI', and are unsure of the phrasing to use then please feel free to contact us for clarification.

What about OGSA-DAI components prior to December 2008?

Prior to December 2008, OGSA-DAI components were released under the OGSA-DAI Public Licence version 1.0. This was a modified version of the IBM common public licence. This licence is more restrictive than the Apache 2.0 licence. For all intents and purposes the answers to the questions above are also valid for the OGSA-DAI Public Licence version 1.0.

Why did The OGSA-DAI Project move to Apache 2.0?

OGSA-DAI public licence version 1.0 was a custom licence for The OGSA-DAI Project. It was created before the Apache 2.0 licence became widely available and accepted. Apache 2.0 offered many of the benefits and protections of the OGSA-DAI public licence but with the added value of being a standard, popular, respected OSI-approved licence.

Further information

Last updated: 08/05/2009


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