Manifesto: Boilerplate License

[bf347@lafn.org (David Lawyer)]

Here's the boilerplate license again:  Let's decide how to treat
derivative works (marked with a +).  I'll follow whatever the
consensus is.  Right now I guess (but may be worng) that the
consensus is to require the derived work to have the same license.  I
proposed "in the spirit of this license" in an attempt to make it
easier to take material from one document and use it in another.  The
danger is that someone may claim that another license is in the
"spirit of this license" when it really isn't.  I think that the
potential benefits outweigh this risk.  If someone uses a non-free
license, anyone may also make another derived work (which is hopefully
better than the non-free one) and use a freer license.  To try to
define what the requirements are for the new license is just too
complex to deal with in a "boilerplate" license.  What do you think?

				David Lawyer

BOILERPLATE LICENSE

Here is a sample copyright notice and``boilerplate'' license you may 
want to use for your work:

Copyright (c) 2000 by John Doe (change to your name)

Please freely copy and distribute (sell or give away) this document
in any format.  Forward any corrections and comments to the document
maintainer.  You may create a derivative work and distribute it
provided that you:

1. Send your derivative work (in the most suitable format such as
  sgml) to the LDP (or the like) for posting on the Internet.  If not
  the LDP, then let the LDP know where it is available.  Send a copy
  to the previous maintainer's url as shown in the latest version.  
+ 2. License the derivative work [What goes here is controversial:  I
+  proposed "in the spirit of this license" others want "using this
+  license"], or use GPL.  Include a copyright notice and at least a
   pointer to your license.
3. Give due credit to previous authors and major contributors.

If you're considering making a derived work other than a
translation, it's requested that you discuss your plans with the
current maintainer.  We would like to avoid unnecessary forks in
documentation.


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