[tahoe-dev] Is TGPPL compatible with Apache license?

[Zhou, Yuan]

Hi lists,

I've got some updates here, after a sync up with our legal, here is the new question:

1.	If we combine TGPPL code with Apache code to create one work derived from both TGPPL code and Apache code, can we redistribute such work under Apache license only and permanently?
2.	If we include TGPPL code (unmodified or modified), as a standalone dynamic library, in our Apache project, can we redistribute the TGPPL code under Apache license only and permanently?

Based on my understanding, we're only allowed to combine the code but not allowed to distribute the code in Apache license... 
Can anyone help to answer the above questions?

Thanks, -yuanz

-----Original Message-----
From: tahoe-dev-bounces at tahoe-lafs.org [mailto:tahoe-dev-bounces at tahoe-lafs.org] On Behalf Of Zooko O'Whielacronx
Sent: Sunday, May 12, 2013 8:20 AM
To: Tahoe-LAFS development
Subject: Re: [tahoe-dev] Is TGPPL compatible with Apache license?

It's so confusing.

Yuanz's original question was ambiguous: is he asking whether it is legal to build a derived work out of Apache-licensed (Swift) code combined with GPL-or-TGPPL-licensed (Zfec) code? Or is he asking whether it is legal to build a derived work out of Apache-licensed code, combined with GPL-or-TGPPL-licensed code, combined with proprietary code? The answer is yes to the former and no to the latter [*].

Hope this helps!

Re: Greg Troxel's letter. I'm sorry the licensing and governance of Tahoe-LAFS is currently so ill-documented. I understand it all, and it is all fine with me. There is no organization (certainly not my company, https://LeastAuthority.com!) which has special rights to the mainline Tahoe-LAFS codebase or which has too much influence over the direction of the open source project.

But, it being all clear in _my_ head is not sufficient for other people. It needs to be written down. I think Peter Secor (head of Tahoe-LAFS Software Foundation) should probably be the one to do the writing. I'll ask him to collaborate with me on a document or wiki page or something.

Regards,

Zooko

[* Well, with some caveats. No, it is not legal to make a derived work combining Zfec and proprietary software, except:

Caveat 1: If you are using Zfec under the terms of the GPL, what copyright law actually forbids is *redistribution* of a GPL-derived work without permission. So if you make a derived work combining Zfec and proprietary software, but you don't redistribute it, then you do not have to satisfy the other obligations of the GPL because you do not need the GPL-rights-holder's permission to redistribute since you aren't redistributing. That's why Spideroak can use Zfec in their proprietary server-side software even though they don't GPL their entire server-side codebase.

Caveat 2: If instead you are using Zfec under the terms of the TGPPL, the TGPPL allows you to make a derived work combining TGPPL-licensed and proprietary software and keep the resulting work proprietary, as long as you release it under the TGPPL within 12 months.] _______________________________________________
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