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From: r...@AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman)
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Subject: Latest draft of library license
Message-ID: <9101050609.AA28987@mole.ai.mit.edu>
Date: 5 Jan 91 06:09:29 GMT
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This is getting very close to completion, but I want to give it one
more round of user feedback.

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		  GNU LIBRARY GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
		       Version 0.2, January 1991

 Copyright (C) 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
                    675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
 Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
 of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

			    Preamble

  The license agreements of most software companies try to keep users
at the mercy of those companies.  By contrast, the GNU General Public
Licenses are intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change
free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users.

  This license, the Library General Public License, applies to some
specially designated Free Software Foundation software, and to any
other libraries whose authors decide to use it.  You can use it for
your libraries, too.

  When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not
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have the freedom to distribute copies of free software, that you
receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change
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  To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid
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These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if
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  For example, if you distribute copies of the library, whether gratis
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the recipients so that they can relink them with the library, after
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  Our method of protecting your rights has two steps: (1) copyright
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  Also, for each distributor's protection, we want to make certain
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want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original
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the original authors' reputations.

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  Most GNU software is covered by the ordinary GNU General Public
License, which was designed for utility programs.  This license, the
GNU Library General Public License, applies to certain designated
libraries.  This license is quite different from the ordinary one;
be sure to read it in full, and don't assume that anything in it is
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  The reason we have a separate public license for libraries is that
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  Because of this blurred distinction, using the ordinary General
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  However, unrestricted linking of non-free programs would deprive the
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  The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and
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"work based on the library" and a "work calling the library".  The
former contains code derived from the library, while the latter only
works together with the library.

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		  GNU LIBRARY GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
   TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

  0. This License Agreement applies to any software library which
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    d) If a facility in the modified Library refers to a function or a
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  6. As an exception to the Paragraphs above, you may also compile or
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  8. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, link with, distribute or
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impose that choice.

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  12. The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new
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			    NO WARRANTY

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WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY
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FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
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SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
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		     END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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     Appendix A: How to Apply These Terms to Your New Libraries

  If you develop a new library, and you want it to be of the greatest
possible use to the public, we recommend making it free software that
everyone can redistribute and change under these terms.

  To do so, attach the following notices to the program.  It is safest
to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively
convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least
the "copyright" line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.

    <one line to give the library's name and a brief idea of what it does.>
    Copyright (C) <year>  <name of author>

    This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
    modify it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public
    License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
    version 1, or (at your option) any later version.

    This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
    Library General Public License for more details.

    You should have received a copy of the GNU Library General Public
    License along with this program; if not, write to the Free
    Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.

You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
school, if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the program, if
necessary.  Here is a sample; alter the names:

  Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the
  library `Frob' (a library for tweaking knobs) written by James Random Hacker.

  <signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1990
  Ty Coon, President of Vice

That's all there is to it!