[Project-managers] License upgrade: CPL to EPL migration approved for IBM projects on COIN-OR

[Robin Lougee]

Dear All, 

Just wanted to let you know that  all the IBM-owned code licensed under 
the CPL version 1.0 on COIN-OR has been approved by IBM to migrate to the 
new version of the license, and the IBM-PM's are starting to make the 
license change.   

This is something that the community has been asking for.  I'm delighted 
the IBM-PMs have the green light they needed to move forward, and I hope 
all the CPL-code on COIN-OR will migrate to the new version of the license 
(i.e., EPL) to make it easier for those of us who would rather focus on 
algorithms rather than legal. 

Below is a little background and a few links if you want to know more. 

Happy Holidays, 
Robin 


Back ground 
------------------- 
The license originally used by IBM for COIN-OR projects was the CPL 
(Common Public License) version 1.0.  The CPL  has been "deprecated and 
superseded" by the Ecplise Public License (EPL)...in other words, the CPL 
version 2.0 is the EPL.   This is goodness because the EPL, while similar, 
has  2 "new and improve" features: (i) the license steward is the Eclipse 
Foundation (not IBM) and  (ii) the EPL does not have the "defense 
termination clause" (i.e., the patent retaliation bit) which was rather 
draconian and a point of objection by some.  Like many licenses, the terms 
of the CPL version 1.0  has a provisions in the event the license steward 
modified the license.  The terms permits the Program to be distributed 
under a new version of the license (i.e., the EPL).  This means the 
license for CPL code can legally be switched to the EPL without needing 
any additional permission from the Contributors.  For more, see 
http://eclipse.dzone.com/articles/one-small-step-towards and 
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/burnette/ibm-passes-open-source-license-baton-to-eclipse/1043 
. 


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robin Lougee, PhD
Program Manager, COIN-OR
IBM TJ Watson Research Center
1101 Kitchawan Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
ph: 914-945-3032   fax: 914-945-3434 
rlougee at us.ibm.com
http://www.coin-or.org


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