Re: [eigen] Re: Important: Relicensing Eigen to MPL2

[Benoit Jacob <jacob.benoit.1@xxxxxxxxx>]

2012/1/17 Bastien ROUCARIES <roucaries.bastien@xxxxxxxxx>:
> On Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 4:08 AM, Benoit Jacob <jacob.benoit.1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Some more precisions (hit send too fast):
>>
>> * Eigen currently contains some BSD-licensed code, like the Intel MKL
>> backend. This can stay BSD-licensed. Likewise, if you feel strongly
>> that you would prefer to contribute code under BSD license over MPL2
>> license, this can be discussed on a case by case basis but it's safe
>> to say that for self-contained parts, this should be OK.
>>
>> * Eigen currently contains some LGPL-licensed third-party code, in
>> self-contained parts, like sparse solvers. This would have to remain
>> LGPL, but being self-contained makes it not a big issue. It will just
>> be a bit annoying to have to document this pitfall; if this becomes
>> too big of an annoyance, we could always contact the authors and ask
>> for permission to relicense their code.
>>
>> * Eigen can interact with GPL-licensed code like FFTW. Our
>> understanding of the MPL2 license is that this is a non-issue: it
>> would simply be the responsibility of the user to ensure that they
>> comply with both the MPL2 and the GPL, if they use Eigen jointly with
>> GPL-licensed libraries.
>
> Quoting FSF:
> Software under previous versions of the MPL can be upgraded to version
> 2.0, but any software that isn't already available under one of the
> listed GNU licenses must be marked as Incompatible With Secondary
> Licenses. This means that software that's only available under
> previous versions of the MPL is still incompatible with the GPL and
> AGPL.
>
> Conclusion:
> So please document in copying that indeed you are compatible with GPL.
> Plain english text will alliviate some problem.
>
> Particularly remember clause 8. of MPL 2
> 8. Litigation
> -------------
>
>  Any litigation relating to this License may be brought only in the
>  courts of a jurisdiction where the defendant maintains its principal
> place of business and such litigation shall be governed by laws of that
>  jurisdiction, without reference to its conflict-of-law provisions.
>
> In pratice it means that you force reolution of ambiguity
> (http://contractman.blogspot.com/2010/04/ambiguity.html)
>
> Because here a lot of people are french it is equivalent of the French
> civil code L1156:
> http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006070721&idArticle=LEGIARTI000006436452&dateTexte=20120117
>
> "On doit dans les conventions rechercher quelle a été la commune
> intention des parties contractantes, plutôt que de s'arrêter au sens
> littéral des termes."
>
> So please document that your rationnal during the license change, and
> that you keep GPL compatibility.

Thanks for the explanation: I will do that.

Also see
http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/FAQ.html#mpl-and-lgpl

which I am currently asking the MoFo lawyers to explain to me, as I
don't understand all of it, see this thread:
http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.governance.mpl-update/browse_frm/thread/a609cc09bf1c127/bd4432a18f71349a

Cheers,
Benoit