So how much does this affect us? Is Jackson affected? Is JSON even supportable in an open source fashion?
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Chris Mattmann <[email protected]> Date: 23 May 2017 at 12:11 Subject: Fwd: JSON License and Apache Projects To: [email protected] Dear PMCs@, Hi! As the new Legal VP, I am reminding everyone that the grandfather exception for the JSON License and Apache projects ended last month. As sent by Jim (our prior Legal VP) the relevant text is below and I want to highlight the following statement: -- If you have been using it, and have done so in a *release*, AND there has been NO pushback from your community/eco-system, you have a temporary exclusion from the Cat-X classification thru April 30, 2017. At that point in time, ANY and ALL usage of these JSON licensed artifacts are DISALLOWED. -- Thank you for your consideration and attention to this matter. Cheers, Chris Mattmann, VP, Legal ASF From: Jim Jagielski <[email protected]> Reply-To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 9:04 AM To: legal discuss <[email protected]> Subject: Fwd: JSON License and Apache Projects Begin forwarded message: From: Jim Jagielski <[email protected]> Subject: JSON License and Apache Projects Date: November 23, 2016 at 9:10:39 AM EST To: ASF Board <[email protected]> Reply-To: [email protected] Message-Id: <[email protected]> (forwarded from legal-discuss@) As some of you may know, recently the JSON License has been moved to Category X (https://www.apache.org/legal/resolved#category-x). I understand that this has impacted some projects, especially those in the midst of doing a release. I also understand that up until now, really, there has been no real "outcry" over our usage of it, especially from end-users and other consumers of our projects which use it. As compelling as that is, the fact is that the JSON license itself is not OSI approved and is therefore not, by definition, an "Open Source license" and, as such, cannot be considered as one which is acceptable as related to categories. Therefore, w/ my VP Legal hat on, I am making the following statements: o No new project, sub-project or codebase, which has not used JSON licensed jars (or similar), are allowed to use them. In other words, if you haven't been using them, you aren't allowed to start. It is Cat-X. o If you have been using it, and have done so in a *release*, AND there has been NO pushback from your community/eco-system, you have a temporary exclusion from the Cat-X classification thru April 30, 2017. At that point in time, ANY and ALL usage of these JSON licensed artifacts are DISALLOWED. You must either find a suitably licensed replacement, or do without. There will be NO exceptions. o Any situation not covered by the above is an implicit DISALLOWAL of usage. Also please note that in the 2nd situation (where a temporary exclusion has been granted), you MUST ensure that NOTICE explicitly notifies the end-user that a JSON licensed artifact exists. They may not be aware of it up to now, and that MUST be addressed. If there are any questions, please ask on the [email protected] list. -- Jim Jagielski VP Legal Affairs -- Matt Sicker <[email protected]>
