diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'obsolete/support/ghostscript/AFPL/Commprod.htm')
-rw-r--r-- | obsolete/support/ghostscript/AFPL/Commprod.htm | 314 |
1 files changed, 314 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/obsolete/support/ghostscript/AFPL/Commprod.htm b/obsolete/support/ghostscript/AFPL/Commprod.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..0bcf26782a --- /dev/null +++ b/obsolete/support/ghostscript/AFPL/Commprod.htm @@ -0,0 +1,314 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> +<html> +<head> +<title>Conditions to distribute Ghostscript in a commercial context</title> +<!-- $Id: Commprod.htm,v 1.5 2000/11/03 20:15:55 giles Exp $ --> +<!-- Originally: commprod.txt --> +<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="gs.css" title="Ghostscript Style"> +</head> + +<body> +<!-- [1.0 begin visible header] ============================================ --> + +<!-- [1.1 begin headline] ================================================== --> + +<h1>Conditions on distributing Ghostscript in a commercial context</h1> + +<!-- [1.1 end headline] ==================================================== --> + +<!-- [1.2 begin table of contents] ========================================= --> + +<h2>Table of contents</h2> + +<ul> +<li><a href="#Free_version">The use of the public-access "free" version of Ghostscript</a> +<li><a href="#GPL">The GNU General Public License (GPL)</a> +</ul> + +<!-- [1.2 end table of contents] =========================================== --> + +<!-- [1.3 begin hint] ====================================================== --> + +<p> +This document sets forth the conditions under which Ghostscript may be +distributed in a commercial context: under a written license from +<a href="#Artifex">Artifex Software</a> Inc., Aladdin Enterprises' +exclusive commercial licensing partner, or under certain other very limited +conditions. + +<p>For other information, see the <a href="Readme.htm">Ghostscript +overview</a>. + +<!-- [1.3 end hint] ======================================================== --> + +<!-- [1.0 end visible header] ============================================== --> + +<hr> + +<!-- [2.0 begin contents] ================================================== --> + +<h2><a name="Free_version"></a>Use of the public-access "free" +version of Ghostscript</h2> + +<p> +Ghostscript is a copyrighted work whose copyright is owned by Aladdin +Enterprises. Some versions of Ghostscript are distributed freely under the +name AFPL Ghostscript; these versions are always distributed with a +license, called the <a href="Public.htm">Aladdin Free Public +License</a> +(also known as the AFPL), which permits AFPL Ghostscript to be +redistributed freely under certain conditions. These conditions will +almost always be met easily by individuals in their personal use of AFPL +Ghostscript. AFPL Ghostscript may be <em>used</em> freely, including by +commercial entities for evaluation or unsupported internal use. However, +<em>distribution</em> for commercial purposes of Ghostscript, or anything +containing or derived from Ghostscript in whole or in part, generally +requires a written commercial license from <a href="#Artifex">Artifex +Software Inc.</a>, the sole entity authorized by Aladdin Enterprises to +grant such licenses. More specifically, the AFPL states: + +<blockquote> +Distribution of the Program or any work based on the Program by a +commercial organization to any third party is prohibited if any payment is +made in connection with such distribution, whether directly (as in payment +for a copy of the Program) or indirectly (as in payment for some service +related to the Program, or payment for some product or service that +includes a copy of the Program "without charge"; these are only examples, +and not an exhaustive enumeration of prohibited activities). However, the +following methods of distribution involving payment shall not in and of +themselves be a violation of this restriction: + +<dl compact> +<dt>(i)<dd>Posting the Program on a public access information storage and +retrieval service for which a fee is received for retrieving information +(such as an on-line service), provided that the fee is not +content-dependent (i.e., the fee would be the same for retrieving the same +volume of information consisting of random data). + +<dt>(ii)<dd>Distributing the Program on a CD-ROM, provided that the files +containing the Program are reproduced entirely and verbatim on such CD-ROM, +and provided further that all information on such CD-ROM be redistributable +for non-commercial purposes without charge. +</dl> +</blockquote> + +<p> +The intent of the exception provided in clause (i) is to allow commercial +organizations operating an FTP server or a bulletin board to distribute +AFPL Ghostscript freely from it, provided that: + +<dl compact> +<dt>(1)<dd>the organization complies with the other provisions of the +AFPL, which include among other things a requirement to distribute the +full source code of AFPL Ghostscript and of any derived work, and to +distribute the AFPL itself along with AFPL Ghostscript; + +<dt>(2)<dd>the only charge for downloading AFPL Ghostscript is a charge +based on the distribution service and not one based on the content of the +information being retrieved (i.e., the charge would be the same for +retrieving a random collection of bits of the same size); + +<dt>(3)<dd>the server or BBS is accessible to the general public, i.e., +the phone number or IP address is not kept secret, and anyone may obtain +access to the information (possibly by paying a subscription or access fee +that is not dependent on or related to purchasing anything else). +</dl> + +<p> +Similarly, the exception in clause (ii) is intended to allow inclusion of +AFPL Ghostscript on "freeware" CD-ROMs that contain only material that +is in the public domain, or is freely redistributable provided only that a +copyright notice is retained (such as the Independent JPEG Group +libraries), or is distributed under some other kind of license allowing +free redistribution such as the GNU +<a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">General Public License</a>. + +<p> +If you want to distribute software in a commercial context that +incorporates Ghostscript and you do <em>not</em> want to meet these +conditions, you should contact <a href="#Artifex">Artifex Software</a> to +find out about commercial licensing. Commercial licenses involve a +(negotiated) payment, and include support and other benefits. These are +the only ways you legally can distribute Ghostscript or anything containing +Ghostscript: either by distributing AFPL Ghostscript under the +requirements of the AFPL, or by getting a commercial license from Artifex +Software. + +<p> +<a name="Artifex"></a>For commercial licensing, please contact: + +<blockquote><address> +Licensing Information<br> +Artifex Software Inc.<br> +454 Las Gallinas Ave., suite 108<br> +San Rafael, CA 94903 U.S.A.<br> ++1-415-492-9861 telephone<br> ++1-415-492-9862 fax<br> +<a href="mailto:info@artifex.com">info@artifex.com</a><br> +<a href="http://www.artifex.com/">http://www.artifex.com/</a> +</address></blockquote> + +<p> +If you have questions about the information in this document, please +contact: + +<blockquote><address> +artofcode LLC<br> +940 Tyler St. Studio 6<br> +Benicia CA 94510 U.S.A.<br> ++1-707-746-6398 fax<br> +<a href="mailto:raph@artofcode.com">raph@artofcode.com</a><br> +<a href="http://www.ghostscript.com/">http://www.ghostscript.com/</a> +</address></blockquote> + +<h2><a name="GPL"></a>The GNU General Public License (GPL)</h2> + +<p> +Older versions of Ghostscript (versions of 5.50 and previous) were +distributed with a license called the GNU +<a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">General Public License</a> +(also known as the "GNU License", the "GPL", or "copyleft"), which +allowed distribution with commercial products under certain conditions. +Aladdin Enterprises may choose to distribute other versions of Ghostscript +with the GPL in the future; however, these versions will be identified as +"GNU Ghostscript." The remainder of this section applies only to versions +identified explicitly as GNU Ghostscript versions; the generic name +Ghostscript, when applied to versions above 4.03, refers to AFPL +Ghostscript, which is governed by the Aladdin Free Public License, not the +GPL. + +<p> +The full GPL is included under the name +<b><tt>COPYING</tt></b> in the GNU Ghostscript fileset, and +can also be obtained directly from the Free Software Foundation: + +<blockquote><address><a name="FSF_address"></a> +Free Software Foundation, Inc. (FSF)<br> +59 Temple Place, Suite 330<br> +Boston, MA 02111-1307 U.S.A.<br> ++1-617-542-5942 telephone<br> ++1-617-542-2652 fax (including Japan):<br> +<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">gnu@gnu.org</a><br> +<a href="http://www.gnu.org/">http://www.gnu.org/</a> +</address></blockquote> + +<p> +or in Japan by free dial fax: + +<blockquote><address> +0031-13-2473 (KDD)<br> +0066-3382-0158 (IDC) +</address></blockquote> + +<p> +The GPL gotten directly from the FSF or the contents of the +<b><tt>COPYING</tt></b> file are authoritative, but for those +unfamiliar with the GPL, we now summarize its provisions. + +<dl compact> +<dt>1.<dd>Anyone may copy and distribute GNU Ghostscript (both source and +object code), but they must distribute the source code as well as the +object code (or, if they distribute only the object code, they must +include an offer in writing to provide the source code at no more than +reproduction cost), keep all copyright and other notices, and include the +GPL with the copies. (Note that this allows anyone receiving such a copy +to distribute it freely as well.) + +<dt>2.<dd>Anyone may modify GNU Ghostscript, but the provisions of (1) +apply to modified or derived works as well. + +<dt>3.<dd>GNU Ghostscript may be "aggregated" with another program; in +this case, (1) and (2) do not apply to the other program, but only to GNU +Ghostscript. +</dl> + +<p> +Provision (1) makes it much harder to have a commercial business based only +on selling copies of GNU Ghostscript (as distributed with the GPL) or +products that contain GNU Ghostscript, since any customer is free to make +as many copies as they want for any purpose. Provision (2) effectively +prevents the development of proprietary commercial products that +incorporate GNU Ghostscript without a commercial license as a part, since +these are "derived works" in the legal sense. + +<p> +Questions have arisen at times in particular cases regarding provision (3) +as to whether GNU Ghostscript is "aggregated" with other parts of a +commercial product, or whether the product has become a "derived work." +Normally, combining GNU Ghostscript with another piece of software creates +a "derived work"; we consider GNU Ghostscript to be "aggregated" with +another piece of software, which we will refer to as "the application", +only if all of the following conditions are met: + +<ul> +<li> The code and documentation for GNU Ghostscript are physically +separated from the code and documentation for the application. For +electronic form, it is both necessary and sufficient to put the GNU +Ghostscript code and documentation in their own directory tree(s). + +<li> GNU Ghostscript, as delivered with the application, is usable +independently of the application. More precisely, if a user deletes from +the computer system all files delivered with the application except those +in the GNU Ghostscript directories, the user will still be able to use GNU +Ghostscript as described in GNU Ghostscript's documentation. Among other +things, this requires that GNU Ghostscript not call any routines in the +application, and not require any data or other files supplied as part of +the application. + +<li> The application calls GNU Ghostscript in a way that allows an ordinary +user to substitute another program for GNU Ghostscript. (Typically this +requires use of a shell script or batch file, or a system call like +"<b><tt>exec</tt></b>".) More precisely, if the user deletes from the +computer system all the files in the GNU Ghostscript directories, and +replaces the GNU Ghostscript executable with another program with the same +name and conforming to the same documentation, the application will +continue to work with it. One implication of this is that the GNU +Ghostscript documentation must specify all properties of GNU Ghostscript on +which the application relies; for example, if GNU Ghostscript has been +modified by the addition of command line switches or language elements such +as new operators, the documentation must describe any such additions that +the application uses. + +<li> The conditions of the GPL are met with respect to GNU Ghostscript, +including the requirement for propagation of the GPL and the requirement +for delivering (or an offer to deliver) source code. +</ul> + +<p> +Regarding this last point, the GPL clearly intends that if the distributor +only offers to provide the GNU Ghostscript source code (as opposed to +actually distributing the source code with every copy of the application), +then they must deliver the source code in a timely way to anyone +requesting it. + +<p> +The GPL makes it clear that if someone receives GNU Ghostscript only in +its GPL-licensed form, they only have a right to distribute it if they +comply with the GPL. Aladdin Enterprises, as the copyright holder, takes +this requirement very seriously, and will, if necessary, take legal action +to ensure that anyone distributing GNU Ghostscript with the GPL complies +with the conditions set forth above. + +<!-- [2.0 end contents] ==================================================== --> + +<!-- [3.0 begin visible trailer] =========================================== --> +<hr> + +<p> +<small>Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998 Aladdin Enterprises. +All rights reserved.</small> + +<p> +<small>This file is part of AFPL Ghostscript. See the <a +href="Public.htm">Aladdin Free Public License</a> (the "License") for full +details of the terms of using, copying, modifying, and redistributing AFPL +Ghostscript.</small> + +<p> +<small>Ghostscript version 6.30, 2 October 2000</small> + + +<!-- [3.0 end visible trailer] ============================================= --> + +</body> +</html> |