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diff --git a/docs/busybox.net/license.html b/docs/busybox.net/license.html
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- -Nobody wants that to happen. Do everyone a favor and don't break the law -- if -you use BusyBox, you must comply with the BusyBox license. -
-Anyone thinking of shipping -BusyBox as part of a product should be familiar with the -licensing terms under which they are allowed to use and -distribute BusyBox. You are advised to take a look over the +
BusyBox is licensed under the +GNU General Public License version 2 or later, which is generally +abbreviated as the GPL. (This is the same license the Linux kernel is under, +so you may be somewhat familiar with it by now.)
-Anyone thinking of shipping BusyBox as part of a +product should be familiar with the licensing terms under which they are +allowed to use and distribute BusyBox. Read the full test of the GPL (either +through the above link, or in the file LICENSE in the busybox tarball), and +also read the Frequently +Asked Questions about the GPL.
-+
Basically, if you distribute GPL software the license requires that you also +distribute the source code to that GPL-licensed software. So if you distribute +BusyBox without making the source code to the version you distribute available, +you violate the license terms, and thus infringe on the copyrights of BusyBox. +(This requirement applies whether or not you modified BusyBox; either way the +license terms still apply to you.) Read the license text for the details.
-The following is a quick summary for the impatient. If you -carefully follow these steps, it will ensure that you are 100% -authorized to ship BusyBox with your product, and have no reason -to worry about lawsuits or being listed on the BusyBox Hall of Shame page. You will be -able to sleep peacefully at night knowing you have fulfilled all -your licensing obligations. +BusyBox's copyrights are enforced by the Software Freedom Law Center, which +"accepts primary responsibility for enforcement of US copyrights on the +software... and coordinates international copyright enforcement efforts for +such works as necessary." If you distribute BusyBox in a way that doesn't +comply with the terms of the license BusyBox is distributed under, expect to +hear from these guys. Their entire reason for existing is to do pro-bono +legal work for free/open source software projects. (We used to list people who +violate the BusyBox license in The Hall of Shame, +but these days we find it much more effective to hand them over to the +lawyers.)
-+
Our enforcement efforts are aimed at bringing people into compliance with +the BusyBox license. Open source software is under a different license from +proprietary software, but if you violate that license you're still a software +pirate and the law gives the vendor (us) some big sticks to play with. We +don't want monetary awards, injunctions, or to generate bad PR for a company, +unless that's the only way to get somebody that repeatedly ignores us to comply +with the license on our code.
-If you distribute a product, it should either be accompanied by -full source for all GPL'd products (including BusyBox) -and/or a written offer to supply the source for all -GPL'd products for the cost of shipping and handling. The source -has to be in its preferred machine readable form, so you cannot -encrypt or obfuscate it. You are not required to provide full -source for all the closed source applications that happen to be -part of the system with BusyBox, though you can certainly do so -if you feel like it. But providing source for the GPL licensed -applications such as BusyBox is mandatory. - -- -Accompanied by source generally means you distribute the full -source code for all GPL'd products including BusyBox along with your -product, such as by placing it somewhere on a driver CD. Full source -code includes the BusyBox ".config" file used when your shipping BusyBox -binary was compiled, and any and all modifications you made to the -BusyBox source code. - -
- -A written offer generally means that somewhere in the -documentation for your product, you write something like - -
-The GPL source code contained in this product is available as a -free download from http://blah.blah.blah/ --Alternatively, you can offer the source code by writing -somewhere in the documentation for your product something like -
-If you would like a copy of the GPL source code contained in this -product shipped to you on CD, please send $9.99 to <address> -which covers the cost of preparing and mailing a CD to you. --
- -Keep in mind though that if you distribute GPL'd binaries online (as is often -done when supplying firmware updates), it is highly recommended that you -make the corresponding source available online at the same place. Regardless, -if you distribute a binary copy of BusyBox online (such as part of a firmware -update) you must either make source available online (i.e. -accompanied by source) and/or inform those downloading firmware updates -of their right to obtain source (i.e. a written offer). Failure to do -so is a violation of your licensing obligations. - - -
- -Some people have the mistaken understanding that if they use unmodified -GPL'd source code, they do not need to distribute anything. This belief -is not correct, and is not supported by the -text of GPL. -Please do re-read it -- you will find there is no such provision. -If you distribute any GPL'd binaries, you must also make source available -as discussed on this webpage. - -
These days, Linksys is doing a good job at complying with the GPL, they get to be an example of how to do things right. Please take a moment and check out what they do with distributing the firmware for their WRT54G Router. Following their example would be a fine way to ensure that you -have also fulfilled your licensing obligations. - +have also fulfilled your licensing obligations.