[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #16525: Clarification of license for phpatomlib / AtomLib

[WordPress Trac]

#16525: Clarification of license for phpatomlib / AtomLib
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 Reporter:  hakre        |       Owner:
     Type:  enhancement  |      Status:  closed
 Priority:  normal       |   Milestone:
Component:  General      |     Version:
 Severity:  normal       |  Resolution:  invalid
 Keywords:               |
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Comment (by hakre):

 Replying to [comment:18 nacin]:
 > Stop already.

 I beg your pardon, but you didn't add any additional information to
 clarify this since longer - even already asked for. I'd wished we could
 have reached a bit more clarification.

 It's unclear for me which version of the GPL exactly (last referenced was
 the SVN version). Next to the GPL version it looks like that atomlib
 itself might have been licensed under apache 2.0 only and has been brought
 into wp later on. That's far away from knowing what technically happened.
 Even if it always has been contributed under GPL v1+ as suggested, I don't
 see myself being able to show this formally with the information available
 so far.

 I can however understand to insist that atomlib has been released under
 GPL v1 or later because the original author did provide the patches. One
 even must insist on that for the packages containing the code in question
 so far as I can not see any additional argument that supports that
 position. Otherwise this would either have ''technically'' violated the
 GPL or ASL or both.

 Anyway, the best suggestion I can give is to contact the original author
 and ask. If it was not available under GPL v1 or later, then most probably
 that happened in error. We could nicely ask for relicensing back in time.
 I think the original author is pretty supportive. Problem solved.

 If it was licensed under GPL v1 or later all the time, then we at least
 know that for sure as well - no big deal at all.

 The other alternative I see to get more clarification with this issue is
 that wordpress.org provides some better information that the code has been
 contributed under GPL v1 or later. But from the reactions I don't know if
 that really is an option otherwise I think such information would have
 already been presented.

 Unless there is no wish of wordpress.org to go in the one or other
 direction and unless no new information becomes available, this issue has
 come to an end of what was possible to clarify at this point.

 ----

 For some info about the changes between GPL v1 to v2, there is the
 [http://fsfe.org/projects/gplv3/fisl-rms-transcript.en.html Transcript of
 Richard Stallman at the 2nd international GPLv3 conference ; 21st April
 2006] from the FSFE website, section [http://fsfe.org/projects/gplv3/fisl-
 rms-transcript.en.html#liberty-or-death 5. The "Liberty or Death" clause,
 the main change from v1 to v2] in specific.

 Please see as well [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-
 faq.html#AllCompatibility How are the various GNU licenses compatible with
 each other?]. It does not contain the GPL v1 any longer, but it helps to
 get the idea.

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Ticket URL: <http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/16525#comment:19>
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