Open Content Licenses


Jan Newmarch
University of Canberra

Open Source

• Open Source is a new-ish name for an old concept
• Open Source usually refers to software
• Software is covered by copyright, as "creative content"
• There is more electronic "creative content" than just software

Intellectual Property

• Copyright
• Patents
• Trade marks
• Designs
• Trade secrets
• etc

Copyright

Some electronic materials covered by copyright include

• Source code
• Documentation
• Images
• Videos
• Audio

Open Source licenses

Issues:

• Free distribution of binaries
• Availability of source code
• Allow derived works

Some Open Source Licenses

• Berkeley License
• Perl Artistic License
• GNU General Public License
• GNU Library Public License
• Others given on http://opensource.org
• Roll your own
• Half-open: Sun Community License

Berkeley License

• Very simple license - human readable
• The copyright notice must be retained
• Allows, but does not require, redistribution in source or binary form
• Allows, but does not require, free distribution
• Has legalistic disclaimer of liability

Berkeley License Contents

Copyright (©) <YEAR> <OWNER>. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted providing that the following conditions are met:

• Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer
• ...

Perl Artistic License

Perl: TMTOWTDI

• License allows choices on distribution and modification
• Changes from "Standard version" must be
  • Posted to usenet; or
  • Renamed executables plus explanatory manpages; or
  • Private use changes need not be made public; or
  • Negotiate with the original author
• Distribution can be
  • Binary with instructions on how to get a Standard Version; or
  • source code; or
  • Negotiate with author

GNU General Public License

• GNU General Public License comes from the Free Software Foundation (FSF)
• FSF is responsible for gcc, emacs, etc
• Linux relies on GNU tools, and is sometimes called GNU/Linux
• GNU buys you a mindset that you may or may not like

GNU General Public License

• GPL philosophy: all software should be free to access source code
• The license should protect this freedom (no-one can reduce it)
• You can sell the software for "reasonable cost"
• You can't remove any copyright notices
• If you modify the software, you can distribute source or binaries
• If you distribute binaries, you must also make source available

GPL Coverage

• Software like GNU g++ is covered by the GPL
• If you make changes to g++ you must make the source available
• If you write a program and compile it using g++
  • You still own the copyright on your own source code
  • You don't have to license it under GPL
  • You can use any license for your source and binaries

GNU Library Public License

• Now known as the Lesser Public License
• Intended for libraries
  • the library is open source
  • the application it is linked to need not be open source
• e.g. glibc under GPL would require all code to be GPL'ed. glibc under LGPL does not

Sun Community Source License

• Not an Open Source license
• Compromise between commercialism and Open Source
• You can distribute, modify and use the software for non-commercial use
• Commercial use requires payment of license fees
• No-one has yet figured out if this is a good or bad license

Roll your own

• If you don't like the above licenses, write your own
• Become a lawyer
• Modify one of the simple licenses

Open Content License

• Known as the OPL
• Intended to cover any digitised copyrightable material
• Copyright must be maintained
• Essentially the GNU GPL, with "software" replaced by "content"

Open Document Licenses

• Open Publication License
• Linux Documentation Project
• GNU Free Documentation License

Open Publication License

• Compromise between the OPL (Open Content License) and book publishers
• Covers text documents such as tutorials, books, letters, documentation
• Gives a document-centric definition of "modified work"
• Optional extras
  • Can forbid "substantial modifications"
  • can restrict paper publications

Linux Documentation Project

• Intended for Linux HOW-TO's, Guides, man pages, info docs etc
• Can freely copy or distribute (sell or give away)
• Derivatives must use the same license or the GNU GPL
• No waiver of liability

GNU Free Documentation License

• Based on the GNU GPL, with extra document features
• Documents are "transparent" (can be edited) or "opaque" (can't be edited by people)
• Changes must be accessible in "transparent" form
• Text can be marked as
  • invariant
  • cover material

Personal Experiences

• Written two books, published by international publishers
• Didn't make money
• Didn't have control
• Worked in a garret (by candelight), books took years to appear

Open Content Experience

• In 1999 no-one knew about Jini (including me)

So I wrote a book...
... on the Web...
... first version was 10 pages long...
... currently at 350 pages
• Advantages
  • Public
  • Feedback from early on
  • Fame (but no money)
  • Publisher approached me (money?)
  • Equal power relationship

Conclusion

• There are multiple Open Content licenses, and there will be more in the future
• Choose the license you want, or write your own
• Open Content can cover more topics than it does now
• Open Content gives you control and a position of power/authority
• For valuable Open Content, someone will pay someone-else - eventually