[jdev] Jabberd 1.4.x license concerns/questions

[Jamin W.Collins]

On Apr 1, 2005, at 12:41 PM, Tijl Houtbeckers wrote:
>
> in response to Jonathan, this is one of the reasons there is a "new" 
> BSD license. The old one was not compatible with the GPL. The GPL *IS* 
> written to deny people credit for their work. By that I mean, it is 
> written specially so that I can take your GPL work, and use it, 
> without ever having to credit you. Of course I'm allowed to credit you 
> if I want, but the "freedom" concept behind the GPL is that the code 
> is not "free" (and thus not GPL compatible) if you can REQUIRE that I 
> must credit you. Which is exactly what the OpenSLL and "old" BSD 
> license does. (Note that if I distribute  GPL derived software I must 
> also make the source available, which MUST include your copyright 
> notice, and I MUST document the changes I made; in other words, what's 
> yours and what's mine).

I'm not sure I follow you here.  I'm not aware of anything in the GPL 
that allows someone to not credit the original authors.  In fact 
section 1 of the GPL states:

1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's source 
code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously 
and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice 
and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to 
this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other 
recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the 
Program.

I think the key portion here is "an appropriate copyright notice".  
Regardless of the GPL or MIT/BSD license I'm pretty sure it's illegal 
for someone to take a work originally authored (and thus copyrighted) 
by someone else and remove that copyright.  Since the copyright /must/ 
remain, credit is given.  Section 3 of the license attempts to ensure 
the availability of the software source, thus the copyright statements 
are viewable.

-- 
Jamin W. Collins