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Ethereal-dev: Re: [Ethereal-dev] Wiretap patch to support reading from Endace ERF trace files

Note: This archive is from the project's previous web site, ethereal.com. This list is no longer active.

From: Guy Harris <guy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 14:19:40 -0700

On Sunday, August 3, 2003, at 10:08 PM, Jesper Peterson wrote:

+/*
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2003 Endace Technology Ltd, Hamilton, New Zealand.
+ *                    All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This software and documentation has been developed by Endace Technology Ltd. + * along with the DAG PCI network capture cards. For further information please
+ * visit http://www.endace.com/.
+ *
+ * Redistribution and use of software in source and binary forms and
+ * documentation, with or without modification, are permitted provided
+ * that the following conditions are met:
+ *
+ * 1. Redistributions of source code and documentation 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 Endace Technology Ltd.,
+ *      Hamilton, New Zealand, and its contributors.

That looks like an "advertising clause", which, I think, renders the license in the copyright notice incompatible with the GPL (the license under which Ethereal is released):

	http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLIncompatibleLicenses

"GPL-Incompatible, Free Software Licenses

The following licenses are free software licenses, but are not compatible with the GNU GPL:

	...

The original BSD license.
(Note: on the preceding link, the original BSD license is listed in the "UCB/LBL" section.) This is a simple, permissive non-copyleft free software license with a serious flaw: the ``obnoxious BSD advertising clause''. The flaw is not fatal; that is, it does not render the software non-free. But it does cause practical problems, including incompatibility with the GNU GPL.

We urge you not to use the original BSD license for software you write. If you want to use a simple, permissive non-copyleft free software license, it is much better to use the modified BSD license or the X11 license. However, there is no reason not to use programs that have been released under the original BSD license."