diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'docs/busybox.net/license.html')
| -rw-r--r-- | docs/busybox.net/license.html | 99 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 99 deletions
diff --git a/docs/busybox.net/license.html b/docs/busybox.net/license.html deleted file mode 100644 index 2a4c51d..0000000 --- a/docs/busybox.net/license.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,99 +0,0 @@ -<!--#include file="header.html" --> - -<p> -<h3><a name="license">BusyBox is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2</a></h3> - -<p>BusyBox is licensed under <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html#SEC1">the -GNU General Public License</a> version 2, which is often abbreviated as GPLv2. -(This is the same license the Linux kernel is under, so you may be somewhat -familiar with it by now.)</p> - -<p>A complete copy of the license text is included in the file LICENSE in -the BusyBox source code.</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> - -<h3><a name="version">A note on GPL versions</a></h3> - -<p>Version 2 of the GPL is the only version of the GPL which current versions -of BusyBox may be distributed under. New code added to the tree is licensed -GPL version 2, and the project's license is GPL version 2.</p> - -<p>Older versions of BusyBox (versions 1.2.2 and earlier, up through about svn -16112) included variants of the recommended -"GPL version 2 or (at your option) later versions" boilerplate -permission grant. Ancient versions of BusyBox -(before svn 49) did not specify any version at all, and section 9 of GPLv2 -(the most recent version at that time) says those old versions may be -redistributed under any version of GPL (including the obsolete V1). This was -conceptually similar to a dual license, except that the different licenses were -different versions of the GPL.</p> - -<p>However, BusyBox has apparently always contained chunks of code that were -licensed under GPL version 2 only. Examples include applets written by Linus -Torvalds (util-linux/mkfs_minix.c and util_linux/mkswap.c) which stated they -"may be redistributed as per the Linux copyright" (which Linus -clarified in the -2.4.0-pre8 release announcement in 2000 was GPLv2 only), and Linux kernel code -copied into libbb/loop.c (after Linus's announcement). There are probably -more, because all we used to check was that the code was GPL, not which -version. (Before the GPLv3 draft proceedings in 2006, it was a purely -theoretical issue that didn't come up much.)</p> - -<p>To summarize: every version of BusyBox may be distributed under the terms of -GPL version 2. New versions (after 1.2.2) may <b>only</b> be distributed under -GPLv2, not under other versions of the GPL. Older versions of BusyBox might -(or might not) be distributable under other versions of the GPL. If you -want to use a GPL version other than 2, you should start with one of the old -versions such as release 1.2.2 or SVN 16112, and do your own homework to -identify and remove any code that can't be licensed under the GPL version you -want to use. New development is all GPLv2.</p> - -<h3><a name="enforce">License enforcement</a></h3> - -<p>BusyBox's copyrights are enforced by the <a -href="http://www.softwarefreedom.org/">Software Freedom Law Center</a> -(you can contact them at gpl@busybox.net), 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> - -<h3><a name="good">A Good Example</a></h3> - -<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.</p> - -<!--#include file="footer.html" --> - |