I just downloaded lessphp from the original source, and the License included in the tar is Apache License 2.0. Isn't this an issue with the official Drupal repositories?

I think you can only commit stuff which is GPL 2 or later here. So maybe it could be document how to download lessphp, and hmmm... maybe also provide support for Libraries API (so we can upgrade the module without messing with the location of the lessphp library)?

Comments

corey.aufang’s picture

corey.aufang commented

Before posting this module I asked these same questions.
I wanted to include the library in the module to reduce the number of setup steps to as few as possible.

I emailed Leaf Corcoran, writer or lessphp, and he responded:

...As for the license, as far as
I know Apache is compatible with GPLv3,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_License#GPL_compatibility...

At the link he provided, I read:

GPL compatibility

The Apache Software Foundation and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) agree that the Apache License 2.0 is a free software licence, compatible with version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPL).

I have not looked into Libraries API support.

markus_petrux’s picture

markus_petrux commented

I think the code committed to Drupal CVS should be released under the GPL 2 or later, which is not the same as committing code that is compatible with.

If you haven't already, maybe the doubt worths posting a question to (or checking) the Legal Group on Groups.Drupal.org.

corey.aufang’s picture

corey.aufang commented

I misquoted the wrong line from that page. Here is what I wanted to show:

The Apache License, like the BSD license, does not require modified versions of the software to be distributed using the same license (in contrast to copyleft licenses).

markus_petrux’s picture

markus_petrux commented

- 3rd party libraries in Drupal CVS states: "2. They are absolutely and always forbidden unless if they are licensed under GPL or GPL v2+ or they have a broader license and can be re-licensed under the GPL. GPL "compatible" code is not allowed."

- The above document links to Why drupal.org doesn't host GPL-"compatible" code. Quoting: "While technically the GPL permits inclusion of code with GPL-"compatible" licenses in a GPL package as explained here, the Drupal policy is not to mix licenses."

- GPL-"compatible" licenses, about the Apache License, Version 2: " This is a free software license, compatible with version 3 of the GPL. note that this license is not compatible with GPL version 2, because it has some requirements that are not in the older version. These include certain patent termination and indemnification provisions."

NB: I'm not a lawyer, but I would try to be 100% sure Apache licensed code is ok here at d.o.

corey.aufang’s picture

corey.aufang commented

The creator of the library has just re-licensed it under MIT+GPLv3.

I believe that this should be OK now under d.o's policies.

I am preparing to repackage and push out the new version.

corey.aufang’s picture

corey.aufang commented
Status: Active » Fixed

New version (v2.0) has been pushed out.

Status: Fixed » Closed (fixed)

Automatically closed -- issue fixed for 2 weeks with no activity.

Anonymous’s picture

Anonymous (not verified) commented
Status: Closed (fixed) » Active

According to Drupal's 'Licensing FAQ' page (http://drupal.org/licensing/faq/), this module is still not in compliance with Drupal licensing policy.

Question 13 of the FAQ seems to indicate that all contributed code must be GPLv2 AND GPLv3 AND GPLvFUTURE (AKA GPLv2+). GPLv3 on its own is apparently not enough.

Edit: Licensing policies on Drupal are not very clear. I just submitted a discussion in g.d.o/legal to try to get clarification on this.

Anonymous’s picture

Anonymous (not verified) commented

So I was right about the licensing. But more to the point for this project, there is a policy against inclusion of 3rd party code in Drupal repositories.

This is part of the response I got from grendzy on g.d.o:

There are a few options for using third-party code in your project:
-- provide documentation for the user to install the library
-- link to hosted version, like googleapis.com
-- use the http://drupal.org/project/libraries module
-- request a policy exception from the infrastructure team

corey.aufang’s picture

corey.aufang commented

Currently the lessphp library is licensed under the provisions of

For ease of distribution, lessphp 0.2.0 is under a dual license.
You are free to pick which one suits your needs.

It then proceeds to list the MIT and GPL VERSION 3 licenses in the same file.

The MIT license is very broad:

MIT LICENSE

Copyright (c) 2010 Leaf Corcoran, http://leafo.net/lessphp

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining
a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
"Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to
permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to
the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE
LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION
OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Which I believe falls under part 2 of http://drupal.org/node/422996

Anonymous’s picture

Anonymous (not verified) commented

I put in a request for clarification on the "3rd Party Libraries" page (http://drupal.org/node/422996), which has recently been updated to more accurately reflect the d.o policy.

The notable point of clarification is that any 3rd party code is subject to approval before inclusion in a d.o repository, regardless of license. But in general, 3rd party code is not allowed and should utilize one of the methods from #9 above.

cweagans’s picture

cweagans
He/Him
Primary language English
Location Boise, ID, USA
commented

"GPL compatible" code is not allowed in repositories, nor is third party code. If you need a third party library, you need to require users to go download it from the source. This is the policy on Drupal.org and has been for a very long time. Please remove the 3rd party library from the Git repository. See point #1 on http://drupal.org/node/422996.

corey.aufang’s picture

corey.aufang commented
Status: Active » Fixed

This should be resolved in 7.x-2.5.

Status: Fixed » Closed (fixed)

Automatically closed -- issue fixed for 2 weeks with no activity.

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