Re: Help needed to persuade apaches about the Classpath license.

[Leo Simons]

IANAL.

Per Bothner wrote:
> Leo Simons wrote:
> 
>> At the moment the policy with regard to GPL+Classpath Exception @ the
>> ASF is that it is not approved for use within ASF works, and policy
>> remains like that until it changes. (Which is still being worked on.)
> 
> Questions (I don't really know the answers):

Me neither.

> (1) Consider application A that depends on library L, with
> these two alternative scenarios:
> (a) L uses GPL+Exception; or
> (b) L uses Sun's J2SE license. (Or one of the J2SE licenses,
> since Sun seems to use multiple licenses.)
> Which of these imposes more restrictions on A?

"more" is not a very generally useful term when discussing licensing.

The GPL grants different rights and imposes different restrictions than
does "the J2SE license". The Exception classpath uses further modifies
the granted rights and imposed restrictions.

> (2) If the above answer is (b), is there any justification
> for Apache to allow (b) but not (a)?

The decision whether or not to allow linking from or incorporation of
source or binaries into apache software under a particular license
depends on several things, not just which license is "more restrictive"
(I wouldn't be able to give you a list of those things). Hence I would
reason that the answer to that question is an unqualified "yes".

(...)

I do know that there are a whole bunch of libraries that Sun provides
under various variants of their Binary Code License Agreement, which,
AFAIK, in general, Apache software may link to but not distribute, save
under some very specific circumstances.

I also know that the geronimo people typed in a lot of java code by
looking at dead-tree representations of various specs and books, to
produce their own API jars that can be dropped in to replace various
things licensed under variants of the Sun BCLA.

(...)

If you wish to gain a more in-depth understanding of all this mess I
know that Larry Rosen's book on open source licensing is a very good primer.

I'll also suggest that further licensing questions and/or discussion
goes to a more appropriate list (and when it concerns the Apache License
or legal policies, that list is legal-discuss at apache dot org). I'm
sure this is boring the crap out of most people on address@hidden :-)

cheers!

Leo