Re: [HACKERS] Readline use in trouble? - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

> > something like this in every source file:
> >  * Copyright (c) 1986-1994
> >  *      The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.
> >  * Copyright (c) 1996-1999
> >  *      PostgreSQL Global Development Team
> That's what I thought. Perhaps one should also add to the actual copyright
> notice, that, besides that U of C, no member of the PostgreSQL Global
> Development Team will assume any liability for nuttin', etc.

Here is what we already have in the docs:

(from http://www.postgresql.org/docs/postgres/copyright.htm)

Copyrights and Trademarks

PostgreSQL is Copyright © 1996-9 by the PostgreSQL Global Development
Group, and is distributed under the terms of the Berkeley license. 

Postgres95 is Copyright © 1994-5 by the Regents of the University of
California. Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this
software and its documentation for any purpose, without fee, and
without a written agreement is hereby granted, provided that the above
copyright notice and this paragraph and the following two paragraphs
appear in all copies. 

In no event shall the University of California be liable to any party
for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages,
including lost profits, arising out of the use of this software and
its documentation, even if the University of California has been
advised of the possibility of such damage. 

The University of California specifically disclaims any warranties,
including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The software
provided hereunder is on an "as-is" basis, and the University of
California has no obligations to provide maintainance, support,
updates, enhancements, or modifications. 


I wrote the minimalist "me too" copyright notice as the first
paragraph above to avoid making claims or statements that the group
would find a problem. But istm that our copyright notice should
probably be a bit more wordy, perhaps mimicing the whole UCB copyright
statement. Comments?

> > Now a lawyer would immediately point out that the "PostgreSQL Global
> > Development Team" is not a legally existent entity and so has no ability
> > to sue anyone for copyright violation.  If we thought we might have to
> > enforce our wishes legally, we'd need to form an actual corporation.
> > (Perhaps the core team has already quietly done that, but I sure don't
> > know about it...)

istm that we "operate" in more countries than most any real company,
and it would be prohibitive to preemptively file for legal status
everywhere it might matter. The copyright is intended to keep the code
available *and* to deflect liability; we only need to invoke it if
someone comes after us (maybe we'll all end up living with Marc on
some island in Canada, hiding from the US lawyers :) Perhaps it is
better to do The Right Thing developing software with an appropriate
copyright and leave the rest...

btw, Marc has already run into domain name pirates/speculators, who
snagged postgresql.com. They would be happy to sell the name back to
us :(((
                   - Thomas

-- 
Thomas Lockhart                lockhart@alumni.caltech.edu
South Pasadena, California