[olug] Samba Adopts GPLv3 for Future Releases (fwd)

[Jon Larsen]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 09:55:09 -0700
From: Jeremy Allison <jra at samba.org>
To:  <samba at samba.org>,  <samba-technical at samba.org>,
    <samba-announce at samba.org>
Cc:  <jra at samba.org>
Subject: Samba Adopts GPLv3 for Future Releases

Samba adopts GPLv3 for future releases.
---------------------------------------

After internal consideration in the Samba Team we have decided to adopt the
GPLv3 and LGPLv3 licences for all future releases of Samba.

The GPLv3 is the updated version of the GPLv2 license under which Samba is
currently  distributed. It has been updated to improve compatibility with other
licenses and to make it easier to adopt internationally, and is an improved
version of the license to better suit the needs of Free Software in the 21st
Century.

To allow people to distinguish which Samba version is released with the new
GPLv3 license, we are updating our next version release number. The next planned
version release was to be 3.0.26, this will now be renumbered so the GPLv3
version release will be 3.2.0.

To be clear, all versions of Samba numbered 3.2 and later will be under the
GPLv3, all versions of Samba numbered 3.0.x and before remain under the GPLv2.

The Samba Team would like to thank Richard Stallman, Eben Moglen and the Free
Software Foundation for updating the GPL license, and also all the individuals
and corporations involved in helping to create the GPLv3. We feel this is an
important change to help promote the interests of Samba and other Free Software.

The Samba Team.

http://samba.org
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
http://news.samba.org/announcements/samba_gplv3

FAQ:

What about code submissions ? Does anything change ?
----------------------------------------------------

New code contributions will be accepted in exactly the same way as before. As
Samba has always accepted code with the "or (at your option) any later version"
of the GPL, contributors do not need to change anything about their submissions.

I need to ship 3.0.x for several years as part of a
service contract. What about old versions ?
---------------------------------------------------

As with previous major version changes, the Team will continue to provide
security fixes for 3.0.25b releases for as long as this code base is widely
used. All new features will only be developed for the new 3.2.x or later GPLv3
versions however.

Help ! I've read scary things about the anti-DRM,
language in GPLv3 ? What does this mean for my Samba-based
products ?
----------------------------------------------------------

We're not aware of any vendor distributing Samba in such a way that would cause
them to fall foul of the new DRM language in the GPLv3, but as always, consult
legal advice if you have doubts.

I am the author of a GPLv2 licensed program, can I still use the samba
libraries?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Samba Team releases libraries under two licenses: the GPLv3 and the LGPLv3.
If your code is released under a "GPLv2 or later" license, it is compatible with
both the GPLv3 and the LGPLv3 licensed Samba code.

If your code is released under a "GPLv2 only" license, it is not compatible with
the Samba libraries released under the GPLv3 or LGPLv3 as the wording of the
"GPLv2 only" license prevents mixing with other licenses. If you wish to use
libraries released under the LGPLv3 with your "GPLv2 only" code then you will
need to modify the license on your code.

What about patent covenant agreements ? How do they
affect the distribution of Samba ?
---------------------------------------------------

Patent covenant deals done after 28 March 2007 are explicitly incompatible with
the license if they are "discriminatory" under section 11 of the GPLv3. Samba
distributors who have made such patent covenant agreements after that date will
not have the right to distribute any version of Samba covered by the GPLv3
(Samba 3.2 or later). The rights of vendors to ship 3.0.25b and previous
versions is unchanged and remains as it was under the GPLv2. Consult legal
advice if you are in doubt.