Assessment on how much of the current code is based on GPL V3 and what can move to a less constrained licence model (like ASL V2)
Issue to be Assessed
- Intelectual Property licensing requirements related to GPLV3, demand that everything that is developed needs to comply with GPL V3, when wished for ASL 2.
Konstantin Hyppönen: Initial estimation: MOST of code use for message passing is GPL V3 (Protocol Terminators and some other critical components).
Consulted Steen Manniche. Since the development of the OpenNCP has proceeded through modification of the SRDC code, released under GPLv3, any modified code has the same licence. Modules written independent of the SRDC-code are of course covered by their respective licenses.
Here is a snippet from the GPL v3 licence:
5. Conveying Modified Source Versions.
You may convey a work based on the Program, or the modifications to produce it from the Program, in the form of source code under the terms of section 4, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
a) The work must carry prominent notices stating that you modified it, and giving a relevant date.
b) The work must carry prominent notices stating that it is released under this License and any conditions added under section 7. This requirement modifies the requirement in section 4 to “keep intact all notices”.
c) You must license the entire work, as a whole, under this License to anyone who comes into possession of a copy. This License will therefore apply, along with any applicable section 7 additional terms, to the whole of the work, and all its parts, regardless of how they are packaged. This License gives no permission to license the work in any other way, but it does not invalidate such permission if you have separately received it.
d) If the work has interactive user interfaces, each must display Appropriate Legal Notices; however, if the Program has interactive interfaces that do not display Appropriate Legal Notices, your work need not make them do so.
The following components are currently published under the GPLv3 licence:
The following components are published under the ASLv2 licence:
- Security Manager
- OpenATNA
- TSL Utils
- Gnomon Portal
- Audit Manager
- Configuration Manager
- TRC-STS
- TRC-STS Client
- TSAM Sync
The licencing of the following components is unclear:
- eADC: for example TransactionHelper.java produced by SPMS/iUZ is under GPLv3, whereas components in com/spirit/epsos/cc/adc produced by Tiani-Spirit lack a reference to a licence.
- Fredrik Linden (Unlicensed): this ones should be already under ASLv2, because they have been implemented after the decision of ASL V2.. Check why the current GPL V3.
The following components lack a reference to a licence:
- e-SENS Non Repudiation (assume EUPL)
- CDA Display Tool (assume ASLv2)
- OpenNCP Portal (assume ASLv2)
- OpenSTORK (assume ASLv2)
- TSAM (assume ASLv2)
- Transformation Manager (assume ASLv2)
- Default Policy Manager
Recommendations
In order to change the license to some other than GPLv3, there are two options at hand:
Get a so-called CLA (Contributors License Agreement) from every contributor who has committed code to the code-base while it was under the GPL v3 license. They must agree to re-license the code under ASLv2. All committers must agree to this, or the change cannot be made. Naturally, the original committer (SRDC) has to do the same.
- Rewrite the code that is based on the original SRDC code (released under GPL v3) and release the code under ASL v2.
Related references
- Marcello Melgara: Recover and make available epSOS background discussion on this matter.
- Konstantin Hyppönen: Discussion started on Stockholm 2012... not participating... SRDC insisted on the GPLv3 (in order to prevent private companies to appropriate the code and build commercial products)