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diff --git a/docs/busybox.net/header.html b/docs/busybox.net/header.html index 9a79a0f..65b4de3 100644 --- a/docs/busybox.net/header.html +++ b/docs/busybox.net/header.html @@ -43,19 +43,31 @@ <tr> <td valign="TOP"> - <br><a href="/news.html">Latest News</a> - <br><a href="/about.html">About</a> - <br>Documentation: - <ul><li><a href="/FAQ.html">FAQ</a></li><li><a href="downloads/BusyBox.html>Manual</a></li><li><a href="downloads/README">README</a></li></ul> - <br><a href="/download.html">Download</a> - <br><a href="/screenshot.html">Screenshot</a> - <br><a href="/lists.html">Mailing Lists</a> - <br><a href="/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/trunk/busybox/">Browse Source</a> - <br><a href="/subversion.html">Accessing Source</a> - <br><a href="http://bugs.busybox.net/">Bug Tracking</a> - <br><a href="/products.html">Products</a> - <br><a href="/shame.html">Hall of Shame</a> - <br><a href="/license.html">License</a> + <b>About</b> + <ul> + <li><a href="/about.html">About BusyBox</a></li> + <li><a href="/screenshot.html">Screenshot</a></li> + <li><a href="/news.html">Latest News</a></li> + </ul> + <b>Documentation</b> + <ul> + <li><a href="/FAQ.html">FAQ</a></li> + <li><a href="downloads/BusyBox.html>Command Help</a></li> + <li><a href="downloads/README">README</a></li> + </ul> + <b>Development</b> + <ul> + <li><a href="/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/trunk/busybox/">Browse Source</a></li> + <li><a href="/subversion.html">Source Control</a></li> + <li><a href="/lists.html">Mailing Lists</a></li> + <li><a href="http://bugs.busybox.net/">Bug Tracking</a></li> + </ul> + <b>Get BusyBox</b> + <ul> + <li><a href="/download.html">Download Source</a></li> + <li><a href="/license.html">License</a></li> + <li><a href="/products.html">Products</a></li> + </ul> <p><b>Related Sites</b> <br><a href="http://uclibc.org/">uClibc.org</a> diff --git a/docs/busybox.net/license.html b/docs/busybox.net/license.html index f3de419..95fa6b6 100644 --- a/docs/busybox.net/license.html +++ b/docs/busybox.net/license.html @@ -1,135 +1,57 @@ <!--#include file="header.html" --> - -<h3>The GPL BusyBox license</h3> - -There has been some confusion in the past as to exactly what is -required to safely distribute GPL'd software such as BusyBox as -part of a product. To ensure that there is no confusion -whatsoever, this page attempts to summarize what you should do to -ensure you do not accidentally violate the law. - -<p> -<h3>Complying with the BusyBox license is easy and completely free.</h3> - -U.S. and International Law protects copyright owners from the unauthorized -reproduction, adaptation, display, distribution, etc of copyright protected -works. Copyright violations (such as shipping BusyBox in a manner contrary to -its license) are subject to severe penalties. The courts can award up to -$150,000 per product shipped without even showing any actual loss by the -copyright holder. Criminal penalties are available for intentional acts -undertaken for purposes of "commercial advantage" or "private financial gain." -In addition, if it comes to my attention that you are violating the BusyBox -license, I will list you on the <a href="/shame.html">BusyBox Hall of Shame</a> -webpage. - -<p> - -Nobody wants that to happen. Do everyone a favor and don't break the law -- if -you use BusyBox, you <b>must comply with the BusyBox license</b>. - <p> <h3>BusyBox is licensed under the GNU General Public License</h3> -BusyBox is licensed under the GNU General Public License , which -is generally just abbreviated as the GPL license, or -just the GPL. -<p> -<a href="/products.html">Anyone thinking of shipping -BusyBox as part of a product</a> should be familiar with the -licensing terms under which they are allowed to use and -distribute BusyBox. You are advised to take a look over the - -<ul> -<li><a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">full text of -the GNU General Public License</a>, and -<li><a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html"> -Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU GPL</a> -</ul> -to be sure you (and your lawyers) fully understand them. - -<p> - -The following is a quick summary for the impatient. If you -carefully follow these steps, it will ensure that you are 100% -authorized to ship BusyBox with your product, and have no reason -to worry about lawsuits or being listed on the <a -href="/shame.html">BusyBox Hall of Shame</a> page. You will be -able to sleep peacefully at night knowing you have fulfilled all -your licensing obligations. - -<p> - -If you distribute a product, it should either be accompanied by -<b>full source for all GPL'd products</b> (including BusyBox) -and/or a <b>written offer</b> to supply the source for all -GPL'd products for the cost of shipping and handling. The source -has to be in its preferred machine readable form, so you cannot -encrypt or obfuscate it. You are not required to provide full -source for all the closed source applications that happen to be -part of the system with BusyBox, though you can certainly do so -if you feel like it. But providing source for the GPL licensed -applications such as BusyBox is mandatory. - -<p> - -<b>Accompanied by source</b> generally means you distribute the full -source code for all GPL'd products including BusyBox along with your -product, such as by placing it somewhere on a driver CD. Full source -code includes the BusyBox ".config" file used when your shipping BusyBox -binary was compiled, and any and all modifications you made to the -BusyBox source code. - -<p> - -<b>A written offer</b> generally means that somewhere in the -documentation for your product, you write something like - -<blockquote> -The GPL source code contained in this product is available as a -free download from http://blah.blah.blah/ -</blockquote> -Alternatively, you can offer the source code by writing -somewhere in the documentation for your product something like -<blockquote> -If you would like a copy of the GPL source code contained in this -product shipped to you on CD, please send $9.99 to <address> -which covers the cost of preparing and mailing a CD to you. -</blockquote> -<p> - -Keep in mind though that if you distribute GPL'd binaries online (as is often -done when supplying firmware updates), it is <b>highly</b> recommended that you -make the corresponding source available online at the same place. Regardless, -if you distribute a binary copy of BusyBox online (such as part of a firmware -update) you <b>must</b> either make source available online (i.e. -<b>accompanied by source</b>) and/or inform those downloading firmware updates -of their right to obtain source (i.e. <b>a written offer</b>). Failure to do -so is a violation of your licensing obligations. - - -<p> - -Some people have the mistaken understanding that if they use unmodified -GPL'd source code, they do not need to distribute anything. This belief -is not correct, and is not supported by the -<a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">text of GPL</a>. -Please do re-read it -- you will find there is no such provision. -If you distribute any GPL'd binaries, you must also make source available -as discussed on this webpage. +<p>BusyBox is licensed under <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html#SEC1">the +GNU General Public License</a> version 2 or later, which is generally +abbreviated as the GPL. (This is the same license the Linux kernel is under, +so you may be somewhat familiar with it by now.)</p> + +<p><a href="/products.html">Anyone thinking of shipping BusyBox as part of a +product</a> should be familiar with the licensing terms under which they are +allowed to use and distribute BusyBox. Read the full test of the GPL (either +through the above link, or in the file LICENSE in the busybox tarball), and +also read the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html">Frequently +Asked Questions about the GPL</a>.</p> + +<p>Basically, if you distribute GPL software the license requires that you also +distribute the source code to that GPL-licensed software. So if you distribute +BusyBox without making the source code to the version you distribute available, +you violate the license terms, and thus infringe on the copyrights of BusyBox. +(This requirement applies whether or not you modified BusyBox; either way the +license terms still apply to you.) Read the license text for the details.</p> + +<p>BusyBox's copyrights are enforced by the <a +href="http://www.softwarefreedom.org">Software Freedom Law Center</a>, which +"accepts primary responsibility for enforcement of US copyrights on the +software... and coordinates international copyright enforcement efforts for +such works as necessary." If you distribute BusyBox in a way that doesn't +comply with the terms of the license BusyBox is distributed under, expect to +hear from these guys. Their entire reason for existing is to do pro-bono +legal work for free/open source software projects. (We used to list people who +violate the BusyBox license in <a href="/shame.html">The Hall of Shame</a>, +but these days we find it much more effective to hand them over to the +lawyers.)</p> + +<p>Our enforcement efforts are aimed at bringing people into compliance with +the BusyBox license. Open source software is under a different license from +proprietary software, but if you violate that license you're still a software +pirate and the law gives the vendor (us) some big sticks to play with. We +don't want monetary awards, injunctions, or to generate bad PR for a company, +unless that's the only way to get somebody that repeatedly ignores us to comply +with the license on our code.</p> -<p> <h3>A Good Example</h3> -These days, <a href="http://www.linksys.com/">Linksys</a> is +<p>These days, <a href="http://www.linksys.com/">Linksys</a> is doing a good job at complying with the GPL, they get to be an example of how to do things right. Please take a moment and check out what they do with <a href="http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Content_C1&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1115416836002&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper"> distributing the firmware for their WRT54G Router.</a> Following their example would be a fine way to ensure that you -have also fulfilled your licensing obligations. - +have also fulfilled your licensing obligations.</p> <!--#include file="footer.html" --> |