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From: jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: Use of BSD 4.3 source
Message-ID: <10009@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 3 Jan 91 18:35:28 GMT
References: <1991Jan3.050048.5153@mel.dit.csiro.au> <1991Jan3.165855.21113@gsm001.uucp> <1261:Jan317:51:0091@kramden.acf.nyu.edu>
Sender: news@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU
Reply-To: jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck)
Lines: 36

First, so there is no confusion, I have nothing to do with the CSRG, the
group at Berkeley who brought you 4.3bsd.

This discussion originally started when someone said.
|> > >I understand that Berkeley intend to make the parts of BSD which are not
|> > >based on AT&T code freely redistributable. 

Berkeley has already made some files in 4.3bsd freely redistributable; thanks
goes to John Gilmore into prodding them to do it.

Someone else wrote:
|> > Therefore programs that were written at Berkeley such as BIFF, the BSD NROFF,
|> > etc. are clearly public domain even if there are no comments to that effect.

Probably true for biff, not true for nroff, since it contains AT&T code.
It doesn't matter that Berkeley rewrote it; it's a "derivative work".

The safe way to use 4.3bsd source as if it were public domain is to get the
files off of uunet (ftp from uunet.uu.net) under the directory bsd-sources.
Every source file in this directory is freely distributable, declared so by
Berkeley.  The copyright notices on the files specify the conditions.  You
may use any of these files without consulting an attorney.

Note that the files on uunet may not correspond to complete programs; they
are "as is".

If you have a source license or have illegal access to a BSD tape, I strongly
recommend that you do not use ANY of the files on that tape.  Even if you
know that the program you're using does not appear in any AT&T Unix release,
you still don't know that the author didn't cut-and-paste source code from
AT&T.  The files on uunet are certified free.


--
Joe Buck
jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu	 {uunet,ucbvax}!galileo.berkeley.edu!jbuck