From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 31396 invoked by alias); 19 Dec 2012 11:18:59 -0000 Received: (qmail 31386 invoked by uid 22791); 19 Dec 2012 11:18:58 -0000 X-SWARE-Spam-Status: No, hits=-3.0 required=5.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00,KHOP_THREADED,T_RP_MATCHES_RCVD X-Spam-Check-By: sourceware.org Received: from sibelius.xs4all.nl (HELO glazunov.sibelius.xs4all.nl) (83.163.83.176) by sourceware.org (qpsmtpd/0.43rc1) with ESMTP; Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:18:53 +0000 Received: from glazunov.sibelius.xs4all.nl (kettenis@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by glazunov.sibelius.xs4all.nl (8.14.5/8.14.3) with ESMTP id qBJBInWY002264; Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:18:49 +0100 (CET) Received: (from kettenis@localhost) by glazunov.sibelius.xs4all.nl (8.14.5/8.14.3/Submit) id qBJBIlUN027746; Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:18:47 +0100 (CET) Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:18:00 -0000 Message-Id: <201212191118.qBJBIlUN027746@glazunov.sibelius.xs4all.nl> From: Mark Kettenis To: brobecker@adacore.com CC: gdb-patches@sourceware.org In-reply-to: <20121219090457.GT3273@adacore.com> (message from Joel Brobecker on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:04:58 +0400) Subject: Re: Update some sim copyright headers to GPLv3-or-later References: <20121219072641.GQ3273@adacore.com> <201212190850.qBJ8oiUb030909@glazunov.sibelius.xs4all.nl> <20121219090457.GT3273@adacore.com> Mailing-List: contact gdb-patches-help@sourceware.org; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Id: List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: gdb-patches-owner@sourceware.org X-SW-Source: 2012-12/txt/msg00692.txt.bz2 > Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:04:58 +0400 > From: Joel Brobecker > > > > As per a request from the FSF, I have updated the copyright headers > > > of the non-FSF-copyrighted files from "GPL v2 or later" to "GPL v3 > > > or later". > > > > You can't do this without asking the copyright holders for permission first. > > I was told the contrary by Karl Berry, and asked to change. > IANAL, but the "or (at your option) any later version" should > give us the right to do so, right? IANAL either, but only the copyright holder can change the license. And to me changing the coyright headers as proposed does effectively change the license, since "GPL v3 or later" is more restrictive than "GPL v2 or later". Legal issues aside, I'd consider it impolite, even dishonest, to change the license on somebody else's code without their permission[1]. Mark [1] By assigning copyright to the FSF we've given them explicit permission to change the license, so I see no issue (legally or morally) with making these changes for FSF-copyrighted files.