Re: [boost] copied boost files in other projects

Subject: Re: [boost] copied boost files in other projects
From: Rene Rivera (grafikrobot_at_[hidden])
Date: 2016-12-08 10:17:34

On Thu, Dec 8, 2016 at 3:07 AM, Andrey Semashev <andrey.semashev_at_[hidden]>
wrote:

> On 12/08/16 10:16, Oliver Kowalke wrote:
>
>> I encountered some projects that have copied files from boost and replaced
>> the copyright and license notice by their own. Other projects have added
>> their own license (for isntance MIT, LGPL ...) beside the Boost license
>> notice in the copied files - does this mean that the code is dual licensed
>> now?.
>>
>
Well that is unfortunate given how permissive the BSL is.

>
>> How does the boost community deal with this?
>>
>
I haven't heard of it coming up before.

I'm not a lawyer, but here's my understanding.
>
> BSL explicitly prohibits removal of the license text from the files. This
> means the particular headers taken from Boost must be licensed under BSL. I
> think the projects that remove the license are doing it illegally.
>

That is my understanding also.

This does not prohibit derivative works from being licensed under other
> terms, including the licenses you mentioned, which AFAIK are compatible
> with the BSL.

Also my understanding.

> This does not require to add the other license to the Boost headers, in
> addition to BSL, and I think doing so is also wrong because it changes the
> licensing terms on the particular Boost headers without the authors'
> consent.
>

Yeah.. Relicensing under different terms is not allowed under international
IP rules without explicit permission, AFAIK.

> I don't know how to deal with this but I think a kind request to stop that
> practice to the violating projects is a good starting point.

One option is to contact our SFC legal representative and ask them to look
into the offending projects. They can then send authoritative notices to
the projects.

-- 
-- Rene Rivera
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