May I ?

[Matthew Seaman]

On Mon, Oct 25, 2004 at 07:49:31PM +0800, GMO-Bug wrote:
> May I publish my own distribution base on FreeBSD? Just for personal, not business.
> On internet, I saw that I can't do that because FreeBSD doesn't follow GPL.
> But from here http://www.freebsd.org/copyright/COPYING, I think FreeBSD follow GPL, so I want to make sure.
> I have the interest to Live CD (base on FreeBSD) recently.
> I want to know whether I can publish it like Knoppix, or not?

Sure you can.  The BSD license is *less* restrictive than the GPL --
if you really want to, you can publish a FreeBSD derived binary only
distro and charge a traditional style license fee for it[1].  Making
your own derivative OS distribution under FOSS terms is certainly
permitted.

Note that various bits of FreeBSD are under separate licenses,
including some parts under the GPL and the LGPL.  There's nothing in
the base system that's not freely redistributable though.

	Cheers,

	Matthew

[1] Although unless you've got significant added value in there such
a business plan would be financial suicide...

-- 
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.                       26 The Paddocks
                                                      Savill Way
PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey         Marlow
Tel: +44 1628 476614                                  Bucks., SL7 1TH UK
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