Re: [boost] copied boost files in other projects

-----Original Message----- From: Boost [mailto:boost-bounces@lists.boost.org] On Behalf Of Steven Ross Sent: 11 December 2016 14:47 To: boost@lists.boost.org Subject: Re: [boost] copied boost files in other projects

On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 11:47 AM Robert Ramey wrote:

...

Writing of software is a work of authorship and craft just as is other works like music, theater, movies, etc. are. We should apply the same criteria law, custom and procedure to our software as other authors do to they're own work. The writer of these works "own" their work in that they have certain rights to place conditions on it's use. The Boost license states those conditions and are very, very, liberal. Basically all we ask for is that those who use our work acknowledge it's provenance. Anyone who does not want to do this is free not to use the work.

The concept of copyright has long history (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_copyright_law) of promoting development of arts and technology. It should not be lightly set aside. Unfortunately, in recent years the software industry strayed away from copyrights into the world of patents - much to the detriment of software and technology and to the interests of those of us who create and use these tools.

On a related note, somebody asked me to add a new sort call to the Boost.Sort library, I told them we'd need to contact the author to get them to send us a copy with the Boost copyright, and then they told me they copied it and modified it, and sent it to me, and that was ok because it had an open-source license. I assume that I should automatically reject any proposed new library contributions from that individual?

Definitely Yes if it was originally a GPL licence. Probably Yes - unless you can get permission to also Boost licence it from the original author? (An email doing this would suffice - I think we have a secure place to store these emails). And of course the original author and the modifier should get a reference in the code and documentation. Part of the point of the Boost licence is to ensure that *all* authors get credit, as well as preventing loss of copyright and loss of patent priority.

I wonder if a similar mechanism (third parties copying copyrighted source code, removing the copyright, and contributing it) could be causing those who own these other libraries to unknowingly be violating the Boost license? In that case, we should be notifying them, and if this is the problem, they'll likely correct it.

Agreed. Paul --- Paul A. Bristow Prizet Farmhouse Kendal UK LA8 8AB +44 (0) 1539 561830