[ILUG] GPL clarification.

[Colm Buckley]

On 31 Mar 2005, at 15:38, Kae Verens wrote:

> I've released, for example, http://webmecms.org/ as a free 
> application. People
> are free to use the code, modify it, sell it, do what the hell they 
> want with
> it. I don't care whether they give me back whatever modifications they 
> make,
> but I'd like them to feel they are free to do so. The only thing I 
> would want
> to make sure of is that anyone that takes the source I developed, does 
> not
> then package it under their own brand and subsequently try to sue me 
> for
> using "their" code.
>

> In that context, would the GPL be worth studying to see if it matches 
> what I
> want?

Sounds like the BSD license is the closest one to what you want.  There 
are several variations, but basically the only "right" which it 
reserves is the right for you to be identified as the author and 
creator of the code.  Others may still take the code, add to it, and 
not release the source.

The GPL takes active steps to preserve the code's "openness" - ie : 
even if someone else took it over, and if that someone's code became 
(for whatever reason) the "main" fork of the code, then they would 
still have to keep it open source.

	Colm

-- 
Colm Buckley / colm at tuatha.org / +353 87 2469146 / www.colm.buckley.name