*BSD News Article 87929


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From: mouth@ibm.net (Mouth of the South)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy,comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Linux vs whatever
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 21:13:59 -0500
Lines: 19
Message-ID: <nVV8y0gTzX9Y091yn@ibm.net>
References: <32DFFEAB.7704@usa.net> <32ECB442.41C67EA6@freebsd.org>
 <32ED1866.34F02393@indiana.edu> <5clgth$et2@qnx.com> <5cokjc$amq@web.nmti.com>
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Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.misc:155330 comp.os.linux.networking:66772 comp.os.linux.setup:94762 comp.unix.bsd.misc:2163 comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy:51467 comp.os.os2.advocacy:264593

In article <5cokjc$amq@web.nmti.com>, peter@nmti.com (Peter da Silva) wrote:
>In article <5clgth$et2@qnx.com>, Doug Santry <doug@qnx.com> wrote:

>Indeed. You can even modify the code and put the modified code under
>the GPL, so long as you abide by the terms of the BSD license and don't
>claim it as your own work.

An interesting proposal, but it can't possibly be true.  A derivative
work, by definition, has its basis in the original work, and inherits
the license terms of the original, unless otherwise agreed in writing
by the original authors.  If we try to apply the GPL, which mandates
that source code must be freely available, to BSD licensed derivative
works, which allows it to be secretly hoarded, then GPL would forcibly
overrule the BSD license and nullify its terms.

In such a case the BSD license came first, and it cannot be superseded
by the whim and fancy, no matter how noble, of any unilateral licensing
proclamation (such as GPL) to the contrary.