Re: [boost] Draft of new Boost Software License

From: Maciej Sobczak (maciej_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-06-25 14:43:04

Hi,

Beman Dawes wrote:
> Thanks to Dave Abrahams, Diane Cabell, Devin Smith, and Eva Chen, we now 
> have a pretty close to final draft of a new Boost Software License.

> The draft license itself is at 
> http://boost.sourceforge.net/misc/LICENSE.txt

Wow!

> While we are interested in comments from any Booster, we would 
> particularly like to hear from:
> 
> * Boosters for whom English isn't their primary language; is the license 
> understandable?

It looks ok for me.

> * Boosters (or their lawyers) from countries other than the US; do they 
> spot any issues missed by Boost's US-centric legal team?
>
> * Boost developers; if there are aspects of the license that make you 
> hesitate about adopting it, what are the issues?

Well, I have a question.
I understand that the text of this license is primarily intended to be 
used by Boost libraries and those that are candidates to be included in 
Boost.
However, apart from the main Boost effort, some of the Boosters or just 
Boost lurkers may find the text of the license very good for their own 
work, which is not connected to the Boost itself.

Long version:
Let's imagine the following situation (it can apply to any developer on 
this planet): I write some code and want it to get public. It is outside 
of mainstream Boost interest, so I do not intend to submit it to Boost.
Being concerned with the legal issues, I want to have a license text 
that is proven to be OK from the lawyers' viewpoint. Of course, a lot of 
people (Boosters and lawyers) have spent their time preparing and 
reviewing the Boost license and ensuring that it meets the high 
standards of today's open software. Is it OK if I just copy-n-paste the 
Boost license into my own work? Is it OK if I use only part of it?
This can have many implications, including legal precedents - for 
example, when some of my users abuse the license or just asks me what he 
can do with the software, I can just point him to Boost pages, FAQs, 
etc. In other words, I may hide behind the curtains sewed by people who 
just never took me and my work into account. Is it OK if I do it?

Short version:
Is there any copyright on the Boost license text?
What license protects the Boost license? :)

-- 
Maciej Sobczak
http://www.maciejsobczak.com/