On 07/28/2009 08:16 AM, Tom "spot" Callaway wrote:
Q: Do config changes count as code changes if the config file is
marked
as being AGPL?
Red Hat Legal feels that changes to configuration lines inside a script
do not represent a copyrightable change to the script, and therefore
they do not trigger the AGPLv3 section 13 requirement (this is the
requirement on sharing the AGPLv3 covered code), because the config
change does not result in a "modified version" as that term is used in
AGPLv3.
They advise that it would be preferred if applications clearly separated
the configuration files from the actual web application code and
scripts, as it minimizes licensing concerns.
Q: What do we have to do to make config files not be licensed under
AGPL? (We want to keep passwords private, for instance).
Red Hat Legal advises that for config files included in an AGPLv3
distribution, you can cause them to fall outside of the AGPLv3 (at least
section 13), by explicitly granting an additional permission stating
that such files (assuming that they are copyrightable) are covered by
the AGPLv3, but are not subject to the AGPLv3 section 13 requirement.
Red Hat Legal would be happy to draft up wording for such an additional
permission for our needs.
I take these two to answers to mean roughly:
Configuration is not copyrightable. Therefore changes to configuration
files and configuration within scripts is not something that needs to be
provided under the AGPLv3. If we are still concerned about them, Red
Hat Legal will help us write a license for the config files that makes
clear that changes to them do not have to be distributed.
Is that a good summary?
Thanks again spot!
-Toshio