Re: Copyrights on files

Someone has pointed out to me that we have non-PostgreSQL/Berkeley
copyrights on a number of files:

src/port/rint.c
* Copyright (c) 1999, repas AEG Automation GmbH

src/backend/port/dynloader/aix.c
* This is an unpublished work copyright (c) 1992 HELIOS Software GmbH
* 30159 Hannover, Germany

src/backend/port/dynloader/ultrix4.h
* Copyright (c) 1993 Andrew K. Yu, University of California at Berkeley
* All rights reserved.
... BSD copyright text follows

src/backend/utils/mb/Unicode/UCS_to_GB18030.pl
# Copyright 2002 by Bill Huang

I have emailed Andrew Yu to see if we can remove his line, but I
question whether the other people can be reached.

How should we handle this?

--
Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> http://momjian.us
EnterpriseDB http://www.enterprisedb.com

+ If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +

Bruce Momjian wrote:
> Someone has pointed out to me that we have non-PostgreSQL/Berkeley
> copyrights on a number of files:
>
> src/port/rint.c
> * Copyright (c) 1999, repas AEG Automation GmbH
>
> src/backend/port/dynloader/aix.c
> * This is an unpublished work copyright (c) 1992 HELIOS Software GmbH
> * 30159 Hannover, Germany
>
> src/backend/port/dynloader/ultrix4.h
> * Copyright (c) 1993 Andrew K. Yu, University of California at Berkeley
> * All rights reserved.
> ... BSD copyright text follows
>
> src/backend/utils/mb/Unicode/UCS_to_GB18030.pl
> # Copyright 2002 by Bill Huang
>
> I have emailed Andrew Yu to see if we can remove his line, but I
> question whether the other people can be reached.
>
> How should we handle this?

If they are released under the BSD license, why do we care about it?

--
Alvaro Herrera http://www.CommandPrompt.com/
The PostgreSQL Company - Command Prompt, Inc.

Bruce Momjian wrote:
> Someone has pointed out to me that we have non-PostgreSQL/Berkeley
> copyrights on a number of files:
>
> src/port/rint.c
> * Copyright (c) 1999, repas AEG Automation GmbH
>
> src/backend/port/dynloader/aix.c
> * This is an unpublished work copyright (c) 1992 HELIOS Software GmbH
> * 30159 Hannover, Germany
>
> src/backend/port/dynloader/ultrix4.h
> * Copyright (c) 1993 Andrew K. Yu, University of California at Berkeley
> * All rights reserved.
> ... BSD copyright text follows
>
> src/backend/utils/mb/Unicode/UCS_to_GB18030.pl
> # Copyright 2002 by Bill Huang
>
> I have emailed Andrew Yu to see if we can remove his line, but I
> question whether the other people can be reached.
>
> How should we handle this?
>

We either have to rewrite those parts entirely, or accept them as they are.

Joshua D. Drake

--

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Alvaro Herrera wrote:
> Bruce Momjian wrote:
>> Someone has pointed out to me that we have non-PostgreSQL/Berkeley
>> copyrights on a number of files:
>>
>> src/port/rint.c
>> * Copyright (c) 1999, repas AEG Automation GmbH
>>
>> src/backend/port/dynloader/aix.c
>> * This is an unpublished work copyright (c) 1992 HELIOS Software GmbH
>> * 30159 Hannover, Germany
>>
>> src/backend/port/dynloader/ultrix4.h
>> * Copyright (c) 1993 Andrew K. Yu, University of California at Berkeley
>> * All rights reserved.
>> ... BSD copyright text follows
>>
>> src/backend/utils/mb/Unicode/UCS_to_GB18030.pl
>> # Copyright 2002 by Bill Huang
>>
>> I have emailed Andrew Yu to see if we can remove his line, but I
>> question whether the other people can be reached.
>>
>> How should we handle this?
>
> If they are released under the BSD license, why do we care about it?

Because BSD != BSD in all cases.

Consider the advertising clause for example.

Joshua D. Drake

--

=== The PostgreSQL Company: Command Prompt, Inc. ===
Sales/Support: +1.503.667.4564 || 24x7/Emergency: +1.800.492.2240
Providing the most comprehensive PostgreSQL solutions since 1997
http://www.commandprompt.com/

Donate to the PostgreSQL Project: http://www.postgresql.org/about/donate
PostgreSQL Replication: http://www.commandprompt.com/products/

On Sat, Mar 24, 2007 at 11:28:26PM -0400, Alvaro Herrera wrote:
> Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > I have emailed Andrew Yu to see if we can remove his line, but I
> > question whether the other people can be reached.
> > How should we handle this?
> If they are released under the BSD license, why do we care about it?

Only the GPL license has the explicit clause "or any feature version of
this license". This clause was designed specifically for this purpose.
To allow the GPL to be updated and automatically apply to all software.
Except, it doesn't. Linux, for example, at least for some time, had an
explicit point that Linus Torvalds did not agree with this ability to
for the FSF to change the terms under which Linux is available. He wrote
at the top of the license words to the effect: "You may *only* use version
2 of the GPL."

Not that I have ever chosen to use the BSD license as a template for any
of my software - but if I did, the University of Berkeley cannot change
the terms of *my* software. The University of Berkeley can only change
the terms of software actually owned by the University of Berkeley.

Cheers,
mark

--
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. . _ ._ . . .__ . . ._. .__ . . . .__ | Neighbourhood Coder
|\/| |_| |_| |/ |_ |\/| | |_ | |/ |_ |
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and in the darkness bind them...

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* Bruce Momjian:

> src/backend/port/dynloader/aix.c
> * This is an unpublished work copyright (c) 1992 HELIOS Software GmbH
> * 30159 Hannover, Germany

The company still exists, it seems. Have you tried to contact them?
See <http://www.helios.de/about/email.phtml>.

--
Florian Weimer <fweimer(at)bfk(dot)de>
BFK edv-consulting GmbH http://www.bfk.de/
Kriegsstraße 100 tel: +49-721-96201-1
D-76133 Karlsruhe fax: +49-721-96201-99

Bruce Momjian wrote:
> Someone has pointed out to me that we have non-PostgreSQL/Berkeley
> copyrights on a number of files:
>
> src/port/rint.c
> * Copyright (c) 1999, repas AEG Automation GmbH
>
> src/backend/port/dynloader/aix.c
> * This is an unpublished work copyright (c) 1992 HELIOS Software GmbH
> * 30159 Hannover, Germany
>
> src/backend/utils/mb/Unicode/UCS_to_GB18030.pl
> # Copyright 2002 by Bill Huang

The above copyright mentions have no actual BSD copyright text, so what
do we do? If we assume they are BSD copyrights that match our own, we
perhaps don't have a problem. If not, we do have a problem.

The one that is a more serious issue is in
/pgtop/contrib/pgcrypto/blf.*, where the BSD advertising clause is in
the copyright, and the author has updated the copyright:

* must display the following acknowledgement:
* This product includes software developed by Niels Provos.

I will try to contact all the authors to get permission to clean this
up.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Blowfish block cipher for OpenBSD
* Copyright 1997 Niels Provos <provos(at)physnet(dot)uni-hamburg(dot)de>
* All rights reserved.
*
* Implementation advice by David Mazieres <dm(at)lcs(dot)mit(dot)edu>.
*
* Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
* modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
* are met:
* 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
* 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
* notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
* documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
* 3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software
* must display the following acknowledgement:
* This product includes software developed by Niels Provos.
* 4. The name of the author may not be used to endorse or promote products
* derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
*

--
Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> http://momjian.us
EnterpriseDB http://www.enterprisedb.com

+ If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +