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Re: [WebERP-developers] Copyright notices, and License statements
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From: <st...@se...> - 2007-07-21 16:23:43
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<html><body><FONT size=2> <div>This is Phil doing things Phil's way. Just like offering his services for money using an inappropriate vehicle.</div> <div> </div> <div>You are partially right, Tim. After the end of the terms and conditions in the GPL v2 found here </FONT><A href="http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php"><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>, they state suggested legal practices. It is unwise not to follow those practices because it leaves many holes. These suggestions are the legal way of protecting a work under GPL. In very understandable English it states...</FONT></div> <div><FONT size=2> </div> <div>"To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest</div> <div>to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively</div> <div>convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least</div> <div>the "copyright" line and a pointer to where the full notice is found....</div> <div>...Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail."</div> <div> </div> <div>Earlier it states "You" as meaning all authors. Understand, that does not just mean initial author.</div> <div> </div> <div>There are obvious reasons why these suggestions should be done. A person/company could claim they only looked at some of the files. Those files did not have the proper GPL notices so that could infer they were free to use for anything. A file must intrinsically say where it came from, what license it is under and ALL persons with copyright to it. This is proper information for anyone thinking about using it. It's about fair play.</div> <div> </div> <div>To simply put a Logicworks copyright on the bottom of every page displayed could be found to be illegal and misleading. Logicworks' (Phil's) copyright on the bottom of each page could misleadingly make people think Logicworks (Phil) owns all of webERP and it is licensed under them. His statements lately could be viewed the same. It could also leave Logicworks (Phil) liable for any issues with webERP because it does not describe lack of warrantee. In effect, wrongfully, it is Logicworks' (Phil's) version of webERP. Copyright is entirely separate from the webERP entity's GPL license notice. It could be determined that Logicworks (Phil) warrants his and all of our work to be free from any issues. It could also be found that Logicworks' claim of copyright is in legal copyright and GPL violation since others retain copyright over their efforts. That could cause Logicworks to suffer prosecution and remuneration to all those with copyright. The notice should discuss it's under GPL with a direct pointer to the complete copyright information which includes all of us who have copyrights to the webERP GPL'd work. That's what you've seen in the past to varying degrees, Tim.</div> <div> </div> <div>So, the people knowledgeable about the GPL do it right and that's what you've seen in many cases. Phil would seemingly not understand the majority of the GPL even though I and several others have tried to very clearly end extensively explain. However, Phil has all of the control. My conclusion tends to be Logicworks (Phil) wanting to do what suits them, as opposed to realizing that webERP is under the GPL license, irregardless of all copyrights.</div> <div></P> <div> </div> <div>If a part of webERP is used in another work or a work is based upon webERP then Logicworks (Phil) retains copyright to those portions (in original unmodified form) that they alone did. In the process of using webERP for another work, the webERP portion has many who have a copyright to their part of that work. Hence all of them retain copyright over their portions in the new work. The rest of the new work is copyrighted by the others doing it. A new work must be licensed under GPL if the new work contains part or all of a work that is GPL. By the way, Logicworks (Phil) cannot give consent for anyone to use webERP under any license other than the GPL (or compatible) as it is a collaborative work with several holding copyrights. They would all need to agree.</div> <div> </div> <div></div> <div>Steve </div> <div> </div> <div>-----Original Message-----</div> <div>From: web...@li... [</FONT><A href="mailto:web...@li..."><U><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>mailto:web...@li...</U></FONT></A><FONT size=2>] On Behalf Of Tim Schofield</div> <div>Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 4:18 AM</div> <div>To: web...@li...</div> <div>Subject: [WebERP-developers] Copyright notices, and License statements</div> <div>I seem to remember from other projects I have been involved with over</div> <div>the years that part of the requirements for placing a project under</div> <div>the GPL was that each and every source file should contain a copyright</div> <div>notice, and some standard wording stating that copying the program was</div> <div>governed by the GPL (don't recall the exact wording, but something to</div> <div>this effect).</div> <div>I notice that weberp does not have this on any of its files, though it</div> <div>does contain a copy of the license. Is this an oversight, or is this</div> <div>me just getting mixed up?</div> <div>Thanks</div> <div>Tim</div> <div>-------------------------------------------------------------------------</div> <div>This SF.net email is sponsored by: Microsoft</div> <div>Defy all challenges. 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