Re: tcpslice licence

[Guy Harris via tcpdump-workers <tcpdump-workers () lists tcpdump org>]

> --- Begin Message ---
>
>
> From: Guy Harris <gharris () sonic net>
>
> Date: Mon, 3 Aug 2020 13:22:35 -0700
>
> On Aug 3, 2020, at 12:33 PM, Denis Ovsienko via tcpdump-workers <tcpdump-workers () lists tcpdump org> wrote:
> > Whilst updating the description of files in tcpslice (the little
> > relative of tcpdump) repository, it came to my attention that it does
> > not have the customary LICENSE file. I have looked through the .c
> > and .h files and they contain the following boilerplates:
> >
> > * a 4-clause BSD-style licence seemingly derived from the so-called
> >  LBNL 3-clause BSD: https://opensource.org/BSD-3-Clause-LBNL
> > * a 3-clause BSD licence with the same text as above and two clauses
> >  merged together
> > * GPL2+
> >
> > Would it be difficult to tell which licence is the right one for the
> > program, and to say it in a LICENSE file for clarity?
>
> The first step I'd take would be to get rid of the GPLed headers in favor of BSD-licensed headers, e.g. taking the 
> ip.h, tcp.h, and udp.h headers from tcpdump and changing the code to work with them.
>
> What remains are:
>
> 1) files such as tcpslice.c, which have a 3-clause variation of the original 4-clause BSD license:
>
>         https://spdx.org/licenses/BSD-4-Clause.html
>
> that puts the fourth clause ("don't use our name to endorse or promote products derived from this software without 
> specific prior written permission") in a separate sentence, with no number, after the third clause ("give us credit by 
> name");
>
> 2) files such as sessions.c, which have a 3-clause BSD license:
>
>         https://spdx.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause.html
>
> (with a slight wording tweak - just "The name of the author" rather than "Neither the name of the copyright holder nor 
> the names of its contributors", probably because the copyright holder is the only contributor).
>
> The 3-clause variation of the original 4-clause BSD license has the "advertising clause" ("All advertising materials 
> mentioning features or use of this software must display the following acknowledgement: This product includes software 
> developed by {XXX}.").
>
> However, the 3-clause LBNL license you mention above is different - it's the LBNL version of the 3-clause BSD license, 
> that has 3 numbered clauses because it doesn't have the advertising clause, not because it doesn't give the fourth 
> clause of the original 4-clause BSD license a number.
>
> A while ago, I tried contacting people at LBNL to see whether the big BSD "we hereby drop the advertising clause" 
> letter applied to code licensed by LBNL.  I seem to remember not getting a definitive answer; I can't find *any* answer 
> in my mail any more.  (Time to run find | xargs egrep on my mail directory?)
>
> However, the 3-clause LBNL license *does* remove the clause - *and* the page you cite gives
>
> > License Steward: 
> > Sebastian Ainslie
> > Principal Commercialization & Licensing Lead
> > Computing Sciences Area & Energy Geosciences Division
> > Intellectual Property Office, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
>
> so I'll try contacting Mr. Ainslie to see whether we can replace the 3-clause-plus-one-unnumbered-clause LBL license 
> with the 3-clause LB(N)L license in libpcap, tcpdump, and tcpslice.
>
>
> --- End Message ---
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