Skip to content
New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

New license request: NAIF-SPICE [SPDX-Online-Tools] #2612

Open
attipaci opened this issue Nov 8, 2024 · 2 comments
Open

New license request: NAIF-SPICE [SPDX-Online-Tools] #2612

attipaci opened this issue Nov 8, 2024 · 2 comments

Comments

@attipaci
Copy link

attipaci commented Nov 8, 2024

1. License Name: SPICE Software License
2. Short identifier: NAIF-SPICE
3. License Author or steward: NASA
4. Comments: The "SPICE Software License" is open-source software license by NASA, specifically for the distribution of the SPICE toolkit. It is based on the Apache 2.0 license, with some exceptions. The exceptions specifically permit the re-packaging of the toolkit, and the distribution of such packages (e.g. as Fedora or Debian packages; see "Toolkit Redistribution" section of the exemption text). However, since there is no existing SPDX license that would cover these exceptions, such Linux packages can only be provided if an appropriate SPDX license can cover the licensing exceptions. I am submitting this application for an appropriate new SPDX license to allow providing Linux packages of the SPICE toolkit.

NASA's aim with the SPICE Software License is specifically to provide open source access to the toolkit, and its source code, so it may be re-packaged, and its components may be used in 3rd party applications. The license seems to meet all SPDX criteria for inclusion.
5. License Request Url: http://tools.spdx.org/app/license_requests/410
6. URL(s): https://nasa-pds.github.io/collaborate/jpl-pds-oss-policy.html, https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/rules.html
7. OSI Status: Unknown
8. Example Projects: https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/toolkit.html, https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2304835

@mattiaverga
Copy link
Contributor

For reference, I've also found a previous related request, see #1934

@richardfontana
Copy link
Contributor

richardfontana commented Nov 8, 2024

Note that the assertion here that

It is based on the Apache 2.0 license, with some exceptions. The exceptions specifically permit the re-packaging of the toolkit, and the distribution of such packages (e.g. as Fedora or Debian packages; see "Toolkit Redistribution" section of the exemption text).

is possibly fundamentally incorrect and seems to be based in part on an interpretation of some unpublished communication with a representative of the licensor. See some discussion here:
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2304835

What does seem to be the case is that the JPL has adopted a general policy of using Apache-2.0 for public source code releases, but the people at NAIF have evidently persuaded the powers that be there to grant them an exemption from the policy and thus avoid the impact of pro-open-source reform efforts within NASA. That's my take on it, anyway.

That's not to say that the NAIF-SPICE terms (whatever they actually are) aren't worthy of being represented with an SPDX identifier.

Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment
Labels
None yet
Projects
None yet
Development

No branches or pull requests

3 participants