[OLPC library] Licensing for One Laptop Per Child

[Edward Cherlin]

On Feb 5, 2008 2:29 PM, Chris Ball <cjb at laptop.org> wrote:
> Hi Edward/library list,
>
>    >> We spoke last week when you were on Forum with Michael Krasny. I
>    >> asked about licensing The Art of Learning for use on the One
>    >> Laptop Per Child XO computer in developing countries. We would
>    >> want to work out a license for free distribution to poor
>    >> students in developing countries, without disturbing your
>    >> copyright and sales in richer countries. We would also want
>    >> permission for people in developing countries to create their
>    >> own translations, in the same way the XO laptop software is
>    >> localized, and other content translated.
>
> Thanks for working on this!  I'm surprised to see a Developing Nations
> License analog being proposed here, however; this conflicts with the
> general move away from licenses that don't provide at least worldwide
> non-commercial sharing, and also conflicts with OLPC's thoughts on
> software freedom, though they don't have to apply here:
>
>    http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_on_free/open_source_software
>
>    * Must allow these rights to be passed on along with the software.
>      This means that we must not provide a license specific to the $100
>      Laptop project or organization or its customers. [..]
>
> Do we accept content for the XO under licenses that don't provide for at
> least non-commercial sharing?

On Feb 5, 2008 3:21 PM, Samuel Klein <meta.sj at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> We won't ship any content that cannot be shared on the laptops.
>
> Creators are welcome to publish collections and books under any
> license they wish, for others to download, but we strongly recommend
> simple attribution and share-alike licenses.
>
> For more on licensing, see   http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Licensing
>
> SJ

People can create .xo bundles of what they like. We are not talking
yet about including Josh's materials in a build, just about making
them available.

Anyway, I only asked my first question, to establish an agreement on
the principle of the thing, before we get to the haggling over the
details.

Second round: Josh, would you and your publisher consider a Creative
Commons-Sharealike license, or some other license that would allow all
XO users to have your software and book?

> Thanks,
>
> - Chris.
> --
> Chris Ball   <cjb at laptop.org>
>



-- 
Edward Cherlin
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay