On 07/21/2011 11:49 AM, Rubén Rodríguez wrote: > So, what we have here is a program under a proper free software license > (ignoring the fact that it recommends non-free stuff) that has actual > distribution restrictions. I think trademark licenses that say "if you > modify it, you have to rename it" are ok, but this one says "if you > don't rename it, you can't distribute it for a fee". > > * Does it render the program non-free? > * How does it affect the software license it ships under?
Unfortunately, such a restriction in a trademark license does make the software nonfree. As we've said in the past, a requirement that you rename the software when you modify it is fine -- but a requirement that you rename it before you distribute it commercially goes too far. Changing the name of a program should be straightforward enough for anybody who modifies the software (and if it isn't, that can be problematic too); the same isn't true for people who simply want to distribute it. However, this doesn't affect the software license at all. So if you *can* do the work to remove the trademark from the program, you have free software that you can distribute without these restrictions. That's exactly what GNU IceCat and friends do. > * Do you know of any other trademark license that restricts > distribution or usability? I'm not aware of any. Best regards, -- Brett Smith License Compliance Engineer, Free Software Foundation Support the FSF by becoming an Associate Member: http://fsf.org/jf
