[TUHS] Re: Thoughts on Licenses

[Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com>]

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With spdx it would go in neither place.. spdx is prescriptive about where
the bom and such resides.

But one of the big issues with thus stuff is things like USENIX tapes and
other similar artifacts that have unclear or no license data still extant
from the time, if there ever was. Or licenses that are poorly crafted. Some
items have good and clear title, but many do not.  Unix itself has an
unclear chain of ownership at the time the ancient licenses were granted,
especially in light of rulings in some court cases (some of which conflict
in their finer points). We likely do not want to be in the business of
judging things beyond "we have a good faith basis to think we can
distribute this"

So anything that goes beyond the simple spdx stuff, with our own extensions
makes me nervous.

Warner

On Sat, Jul 2, 2022, 5:54 PM Clem Cole <clemc@ccc.com> wrote:

> Agreed
>
> On Sat, Jul 2, 2022 at 5:03 PM Larry McVoy <lm@mcvoy.com> wrote:
>
>> If I were looking for licenses "Copyrights+Licenses" would make me
>> find, "metadata" I wouldn't think to look in.
>>
>> But I'm an old retired dude without many brain cells left.
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 02, 2022 at 02:57:31PM -0600, Warner Losh wrote:
>> > Before we go inventing our own thing, let's just add spdx tags and
>> > metadata..... there already is a standard for this.
>> >
>> > Warner
>> >
>> > On Sat, Jul 2, 2022, 1:09 PM Marc Donner <marc.donner@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > > I would call that top level directory "metadata" ... the licensing
>> stuff
>> > > is quite relevant to the owner and operator of the system, but not
>> directly
>> > > relevant to any of its actual content or function.
>> > > =====
>> > > nygeek.net
>> > > mindthegapdialogs.com/home <https://www.mindthegapdialogs.com/home>
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > On Sat, Jul 2, 2022 at 2:17 PM Clem Cole <clemc@ccc.com> wrote:
>> > >
>> > >> As part of some of simh work, I've been immersed in some licensing
>> > >> discussions.  Thanks for the V8-10, Plan-9 and Inferno notes - they
>> are
>> > >> relevant.
>> > >>
>> > >> Anyway, WRT to TUHS, I'm thinking that at least in the case of the
>> Unix
>> > >> style bits, I propose a small change to Waren's top-level
>> directory.   Add
>> > >> a new dir called something like 'Legal Docs' or
>> 'Copyrights+Licenses'.
>> > >>  Then move the Caldera document and Warren's current note into that
>> area.
>> > >> Then add copies of anything we can collect like the Dan Cross's
>> V8-10,
>> > >> anything WRT to Plan9/Inferno or anything we from the UNIX world -
>> such as
>> > >> something Sun, DEC or HP or like might have added.  Maybe add a
>> > >> subdirectory with the AT&T/USL case details.   And maybe add a
>> > >> sub-directory with known FOSS licenses used by the UNIX community
>> and add a
>> > >> copy of the 3-clause BSD and maybe even the two GPLs.
>> > >>
>> > >> Then update the README in the current top-level dir.   Adding to the
>> > >> contents something like "*the IP contained on this website is
>> covered by
>> > >> different licenses depending on the specific IP.  Copies of these
>> can be
>> > >> found with the source code itself, but have also been all collected
>> > >> together in the top-level directory: ...*."
>> > >>
>> > >> I think these all have both historical values, as well as practical
>> > >> values.  As I said, I was not sure myself and I think other would be
>> less
>> > >> ignorant if they could find it all easily.   In the case of the
>> practical,
>> > >> a for instance, in an email with some lawyers last week, I had
>> pointed them
>> > >> at the Caldera document.  I'ld have loved to have been able to say
>> look in
>> > >> this directory.  The Caldera and later Nokia Licenses are what we are
>> > >> considering as examples.
>> > >>
>> > >> Thoughts?
>> > >>
>> > >
>>
>> --
>> ---
>> Larry McVoy            Retired to fishing
>> http://www.mcvoy.com/lm/boat
>>
> --
> Sent from a handheld expect more typos than usual
>

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