From 3f05b8775ca540fbe566d75994b9a36b206803a3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Gary O'Neall
BSD Protection License
+
February 2002
+
Preamble
+
--------
+
The Berkeley Software Distribution ("BSD") license has proven very effective over the years at + allowing for a wide spread of work throughout both commercial and non-commercial products. For + programmers whose primary intention is to improve the general quality of available software, it is + arguable that there is no better license than the BSD license, as it permits improvements to be used + wherever they will help, without idealogical or metallic constraint.
+This is of particular value to those who produce reference implementations of proposed standards: The + case of TCP/IP clearly illustrates that freely and universally available implementations leads the + rapid acceptance of standards -- often even being used instead of a de jure standard (eg, OSI network + models).
+With the rapid proliferation of software licensed under the GNU General Public License, however, the + continued success of this role is called into question. Given that the inclusion of a few lines of + "GPL-tainted" work into a larger body of work will result in restricted distribution -- and + given that further work will likely build upon the "tainted" portions, making them difficult + to remove at a future date -- there are inevitable circumstances where authors would, in order to + protect their goal of providing for the widespread usage of their work, wish to guard against such + "GPL-taint".
+In addition, one can imagine that companies which operate by producing and selling (possibly + closed-source) code would wish to protect themselves against the rise of a GPL-licensed competitor. + While under existing licenses this would mean not releasing their code under any form of open license, + if a license existed under which they could incorporate any improvements back into their own + (commercial) products then they might be far more willing to provide for non-closed distribution.
+For the above reasons, we put forth this "BSD Protection License": A license designed to retain + the freedom granted by the BSD license to use licensed works in a wide variety of settings, both + non-commercial and commercial, while protecting the work from having future contributors restrict that + freedom.
+The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution, and modification follow.
+BSD PROTECTION LICENSE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION, AND MODIFICATION
+THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT + LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE + DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR + REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, + EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING, + BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR + BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT + LIABILITY, OR TORT, EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH + DAMAGES.
+