[LUGOS] OOo po novem pod licenco LGPLv3

[Robert Ludvik]

-------- Izvirno sporoc(ilo --------
Zadeva: [project leads] License change to LGPLv3 and New SCA
Datum: Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:19:03 +0100
Od: Stefan Taxhet <Stefan.Taxhet na Sun.COM>
Reply-to: project_leads na openoffice.org
Za: project_leads na openoffice.org

Hi,

some weeks ago there was a discussion about the implications of the
ratification of GPLv3 or LGPLv3 for OpenOffice.org on this list.

Sun is glad to change the license of the OpenOffice.org codebase from
LGPLv2.1 to LGPLv3 [1]. This change is based on the feedback you
provided here and supported by the OpenOffice.org Community Council.

This move forward is the natural evolutionary step to take for a code
base using a license from the FSF license family. The drafting process
involved substantial FOSS community input and we will benefit from this
work. In particular, the new license includes additional protections for
the community against software patents.

The discussion here did not favor GPL over LGPL for the OpenOffice.org
project. We will stay consistent with the license scheme and thus
minimize the disruption for our community, which evolved around the LGPL
codebase. The LGPL offers the flexibility to a broad range of users and
developers, which enlarges the community while still ensuring that
modifications to the code are contributed back to the community.

The new license is a major reason to exchange the current Joint
Copyright Assignment(JCA) with a new Sun Contributor Agreement(SCA)[2].
For OpenOffice.org there will be an addendum, which offers the
flexibility to accommodate developers of the core OOo codebase and of
non-core extensions through different contribution models.
It does not change the fact that contributions to the product packaged
as OpenOffice.org require a SCA.
The addendum enables us to host source code of extensions, for which the
contributor does not sign the SCA in the OOo source code repository in a
dedicated area. This allows collaboration with other interested parties
on the respective extension in the known environment. Source code of
those extensions needs to be provided under the then-current license for
OOo. There is similar flexibility for documentation. The creation of the
related contribution guidelines is in progress.

A large number of GPL/LGPL projects have already moved to v3[3]. For
OpenOffice.org the next major release is the right time to change.
Preparations will start immediately so that we can publish
OpenOffice.org 3.0 Beta under LGPLv3.

The SCA including the OpenOffice.org addendum will be published on the
OpenOffice.org site together with a FAQ and a pointer to the Sun SCA
FAQ[3]. It will be used as soon as the public announcement has been sent
out. If a JCA has been signed a renewal is not needed.

Louis will inform the OpenOffice.org community and work with the
marketing project on the broader distribution.
Please keep this information confidential until you see the notification
on the announce na openoffice.org list.

Greetings
Stefan

[1] http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/lgpl.html
[2] http://www.sun.com/software/opensource/sca.pdf
[3] http://www.sun.com/software/opensource/contributor_agreement.jsp
[4] http://gpl3.palamida.com:8080/index.jsp


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