VFS-License-clarification: minor improvements aligning w/ GPLv3 text

The phrase "derived work" and word "derived" don't appear in GPLv3;
instead, GPLv3 uses the phrases "modified version" and "based on" to
implement the strong copyleft clause.  Herein, align the VFS
statement with the phrases as they appear in the GPLv3 since Samba's
license is GPLv3-or-later.

Included are also a few other very minor wording changes as suggested
by legal counsel who is experienced with presenting these sorts of
licensing statements to company lawyers and suggests these changes
will comfort that constituency.

Finally, update both occurrences of the statement in the codebase in
two different files.

Signed-off-by: Bradley M. Kuhn <bkuhn@sfconservancy.org>
Reviewed-by: Jim McDonough <jmcd@samba.org>
Reviewed-by: Karolin Seeger <kseeger@samba.org>
Reviewed-by: Andrew Bartlett <abartlet@samba.org>
Reviewed-by: Jeremy Allison <jra@samba.org>

diff --git a/VFS-License-clarification.txt b/VFS-License-clarification.txt
index 6b67381cc20412456d7d01a0587c0d627254a2b8..491fb1e615307548bb0d21ea498b60dcb7215d99 100644 (file)
--- a/VFS-License-clarification.txt
+++ b/VFS-License-clarification.txt
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-A clarification of the GNU GPL License boundary within the Samba
+A clarification of our GNU GPL License enforcement boundary within the Samba
 Virtual File System (VFS) layer.
 
 Samba is licensed under the GNU GPL. All code committed to the Samba
-project or creating a derived work must be either licensed under the
-GNU GPL or a compatible license.
+project or that creates a "modified version" or software "based on" Samba must
+be either licensed under the GNU GPL or a compatible license.
 
 Samba has several plug-in interfaces where external code may be called
 from Samba GNU GPL licensed code. The most important of these is the
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ developed and maintained.
 
 As long as these third-party external libraries do not use any of the
 Samba internal structure, APIs or interface definitions created by the
-Samba project that are licensed under the GNU GPL then it is the view
-of the Samba Team that such third-party external libraries called from
-Samba VFS modules are not part of the Samba code and cannot be
-considered a derived work of Samba for the purposes of GNU GPL
-licensing. Thus such libraries are not required to be under the GNU
-GPL or a GNU GPL compatible license.
+Samba project (to the extent that they would be considered subject to the GNU
+GPL), then the Samba Team will not consider such third-party external
+libraries called from Samba VFS modules as "based on" and/or creating a
+"modified version" of the Samba code for the purposes of GNU GPL.
+Accordingly, we do not require such libraries be licensed under the GNU GPL
+or a GNU GPL compatible license.

diff --git a/WHATSNEW.txt b/WHATSNEW.txt
index ffcf634030da3a9015a0296b08bc66593f249e21..7651b0af5648e09f109aca708acd4308d16d7e40 100644 (file)
--- a/WHATSNEW.txt
+++ b/WHATSNEW.txt
@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@ Here is a copy of a clarification note added to the Samba code
 in the file: VFS-License-clarification.txt.
 --------------------------------------------------------------
 
-A clarification of the GNU GPL License boundary within the Samba
+A clarification of our GNU GPL License enforcement boundary within the Samba
 Virtual File System (VFS) layer.
 
 Samba is licensed under the GNU GPL. All code committed to the Samba
-project or creating a derived work must be either licensed under the
-GNU GPL or a compatible license.
+project or that creates a "modified version" or software "based on" Samba must
+be either licensed under the GNU GPL or a compatible license.
 
 Samba has several plug-in interfaces where external code may be called
 from Samba GNU GPL licensed code. The most important of these is the
@@ -42,12 +42,12 @@ developed and maintained.
 
 As long as these third-party external libraries do not use any of the
 Samba internal structure, APIs or interface definitions created by the
-Samba project that are licensed under the GNU GPL then it is the view
-of the Samba Team that such third-party external libraries called from
-Samba VFS modules are not part of the Samba code and cannot be
-considered a derived work of Samba for the purposes of GNU GPL
-licensing. Thus such libraries are not required to be under the GNU
-GPL or a GNU GPL compatible license.
+Samba project (to the extent that they would be considered subject to the GNU
+GPL), then the Samba Team will not consider such third-party external
+libraries called from Samba VFS modules as "based on" and/or creating a
+"modified version" of the Samba code for the purposes of GNU GPL.
+Accordingly, we do not require such libraries be licensed under the GNU GPL
+or a GNU GPL compatible license.
 
 Client Group Policy
 -------------------