On Sat, 2007-03-17 at 00:58 +0000, paul_c wrote:

> On Friday 16 March 2007 18:44, Matthew Glenn Shaver wrote:
> > > src/hal/drivers/pluto_servo_firmware/pluto_servo.qsf
> > GPL - Header at the top of the file.
> 
> Well, I guess the Altera lawyers could have a field day with that...
> CVS history says one thing for the original commit, six months later, 
> something else.

OK, that I didn't know. The original copyright header says:

# Copyright (C) 1991-2006 Altera Corporation
# Your use of Altera Corporation's design tools, logic functions 
# and other software and tools, and its AMPP partner logic 
# functions, and any output files any of the foregoing 
# (including device programming or simulation files), and any 
# associated documentation or information are expressly subject 
# to the terms and conditions of the Altera Program License 
# Subscription Agreement, Altera MegaCore Function License 
# Agreement, or other applicable license agreement, including, 
# without limitation, that your use is for the sole purpose of 
# programming logic devices manufactured by Altera and sold by 
# Altera or its authorized distributors.  Please refer to the 
# applicable agreement for further details.

The two referenced agreements (which I found after almost an hour of
searching Altera's website) are:
https://www.altera.com/support/software/download/license/lic-weprog_lic.html
and
http://www.altera.com/common/legal/leg-megacore_lic.html

It's the second one of these documents that really pertains. From that
document:

**************************************************************
Definitions:
<...>
"MegaCore Function" means one or more design files (including encrypted
net lists, RTL, test vectors, simulation models (such as VHDL, Verilog
HDL, Quartus® or Quartus II simulation, Matlab, Simulink, Verisity
Specman, Synopsys Vera, etc.), and other models either as source,
obfuscated source or in encrypted format) each designed to implement or
support the design of a specific function into an Altera Device,
together with any updates that ALTERA provides to YOU under this
Agreement; excepting the portions identified in particular files which
components are subject to the applicable license agreement(s) set forth
therein.
**************************************************************

and:

**************************************************************
1. License to the MegaCore Function :

1.1 Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement (including but
not limited to YOUR payment of the license fee set forth in Paragraph
4.0), and unless YOU have acquired this MegaCore Function through
ALTERA’s OpenCore Plus Evaluation Program, ALTERA grants to YOU a
single-user, non-transferable, non-exclusive, and (except as specified
by ALTERA) perpetual license to use the MegaCore Function as follows.
YOU may:

(a) have a single concurrent user design with, parameterize, compile,
and route the MegaCore Function; (b) program Altera Devices with the
MegaCore Function; and,
(c) except as otherwise provided in Paragraph 10.2, YOU may use,
distribute, sell, and or otherwise market products containing Licensed
Products to any third party in perpetuity. YOU may also sublicense YOUR
right to use and distribute products containing Licensed Products as
necessary to permit YOUR distributors to distribute and YOUR customers
to use products containing Licensed Products.

<...>

1.2 OpenCore Plus Evaluation License: If YOU have acquired this MegaCore
Function through ALTERA’s OpenCore Plus Evaluation Program, YOUR license
is more limited than the license granted under Paragraph 1.1 of this
Agreement. Under ALTERA’s OpenCore Plus Evaluation Program, ALTERA
grants to YOU a single concurrent user, non-transferable, non-exclusive
limited license to: (a) engage in software evaluation by performing
design entry, timing, place and route, compilation, and verification of
logic designs for Altera Devices for evaluation purposes only, provided
that that YOU must acquire from ALTERA a license that specifically
permits the programming of Altera Devices for production use prior to
doing so, and (b) engage in hardware evaluation by programming the
MegaCore Function into Altera Devices so long as the Altera Device is
continuously connected via a programming cable to a host development
computer which is running Altera development tool programmer software,
or otherwise the MegaCore Function will operate for a predetermined
amount of time, after which the MegaCore Function is automatically
disabled and inoperable. YOU are expressly prohibited from using any
MegaCore Function to program Non-Altera Devices. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE
MEGACORE FUNCTION MAY BE FUNCTION-, TIME- OR CLOCK-CYCLE LIMITED AND
THUS, WITHOUT LIMITING THE EFFECT OF PARAGRAPH 9.2, IN NO EVENT WILL
ALTERA BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES TO YOU OR ANY
THIRD-PARTY RESULTING FROM THE AUTOMATIC DISABLING OF ANY MEGACORE
FUNCTIONS OBTAINED THROUGH ALTERA’S OPENCORE PLUS EVALUATION PROGRAM.

1.3 YOU may make only one copy of the MegaCore Function for back-up
purposes only. The MegaCore Function may not be copied to, installed on
or used with any other computer without prior written approval from
ALTERA.

1.4 Any copies of the MegaCore Function made by or for YOU shall include
all intellectual property notices, including copyright and proprietary
rights notices, appearing on such MegaCore Function. Any copy or portion
of the MegaCore Function, including any portion merged into a design and
any design or product that incorporates any portion of the MegaCore
Function, will continue to be subject to the terms and conditions of
this Agreement.

1.5 The source code of the MegaCore Function, and algorithms, concepts,
techniques, methods and processes embodied therein, constitute trade
secrets and confidential and proprietary information of ALTERA and its
licensors and LICENSEE shall not access or use such trade secrets and
information in any manner, except to the extent expressly permitted
herein. ALTERA and its licensors retain all rights with respect to the
MegaCore Function, including any copyright, patent, trade secret and
other proprietary rights, not expressly granted herein.
**************************************************************

The way I read this is that __IF__ you have paid the production fees for
the use of the MegaCore Function in a production ASIC, __THEN__ "YOU may
also sublicense YOUR right to use and distribute products containing
Licensed Products as necessary to permit YOUR distributors to distribute
and YOUR customers to use products containing Licensed Products".
However, "If YOU have acquired this MegaCore Function through ALTERA’s
OpenCore Plus Evaluation Program, YOUR license is more limited than the
license granted under Paragraph 1.1 of this Agreement". And these
limitations are very substantial and affect "any design or product that
incorporates any portion of the MegaCore Function".

I don't know how this material was acquired, so there's no way to know
what rights are licensed. Unfortunately, the following paragraph
probably prevents making any of this available for anonymous download no
matter what license is in effect:

**************************************************************
10.2 YOU shall not export or re-export, directly or indirectly, the
MegaCore Function or the direct product thereof, including Licensed
Products and End Products, without first obtaining any necessary U.S. or
other governmental licenses and approvals. YOU hereby give YOUR
assurance to ALTERA that YOU will not knowingly, unless prior
authorization is obtained from the appropriate US governmental body,
re-export, directly or indirectly, the MegaCore Function, or the direct
product thereof, to any the countries or nationals thereof listed in
Country Groups D:1 or E:2, as such lists may be amended from time to
time by the U.S. Department of Commerce and/or U.S. Treasury Department
(which lists currently include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan,
Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Macau, Moldova, Mongolia, North Korea, Romania,
Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam). YOU
further agree that no products, propriety data, know-how, software, or
other data or information received from ALTERA will be directly employed
in missile technology, sensitive nuclear, chemical or biological weapons
end uses or by such end users. YOU understand that the foregoing
obligations are U.S. legal requirements and agree that they shall
survive any term or termination of this Agreement.
**************************************************************

All of which is very sad, especially since I didn't even know what a
Pluto Servo was until this evening. It's one of these little boards...
http://www.knjn.com/board_pluto-P.html
...combined with this firmware in emc2.

It's also worthwhile to note that nearly this same situation has made
contributing to Gecko's G100 (GREX) project very difficult owing to
similar restrictions placed on the source code used with Dynamic C from
Rabbit Semiconductor.

Oh, and Paul, thanks for another lovely evening of reading & digesting
dense legal prose. You'll forgive me if I don't offer up a goodnight
kiss ;) .

Thanks,
Matt


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