On Fri, Aug 20, 2004 at 11:57:39AM -0400, Michael Poole wrote: > Brian Thomas Sniffen writes: > > > Michael Poole <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > > > Brian Thomas Sniffen writes: > > > > > >> Which, incidentally, is an issue. If some user sends you a patch for > > >> O'Caml, you can't apply it, because then you'll be distributing > > >> software under the QPL, and trigger QPL 3b, which means you have to > > >> grant the initial author permission to relicense... but you aren't the > > >> copyright holder for the patch, and so can't grant that permission. > > >> > > >> This ends up being not merely theoretically non-free, but a serious > > >> practical problem for Debian. > > > > > > This does not follow. The patch's original author "releases" the > > > change by sending it to Sven (or whoever maintains the package in > > > question), triggering 3b. > > > > Nope -- the patcher doesn't release his software under the QPL. He > > doesn't transmit binaries to anyone at all. But Sven does. So the > > patcher doesn't trigger 3b, but Sven does. > > Can you elaborate on why the patcher doesn't trigger 3b? > > 3. You may make modifications to the Software and distribute your > modifications, in a form that is separate from the Software, such > as patches. The following restrictions apply to modifications: > > a. Modifications must not alter or remove any copyright notices in the > Software. > > b. When modifications to the Software are released under this license, > a non-exclusive royalty-free right is granted to the initial > developer of the Software to distribute your modification in future > versions of the Software provided such versions remain available > under these terms in addition to any other license(s) of the > initial developer. > > I see no mention at all of binary distribution. It only mentions > distribution of the patch(es).
Because 3b apply only when the patch is released under the QPL, and 4 forces you to use the QPL if you want to do binary distribution, as debian does. So the patcher could release its patch under the BSD, and i could then QPL it and incorporate it or something such. Friendly, Sven Luther
