Subj : Re: Need some legal clarification re: spidermonkey To : netscape.public.mozilla.jseng From : Laura Werner Date : Tue Jul 15 2003 03:20 pm Sterling Bates wrote: > I've been translating some headers (and writing class-based engine > abstractions) around SpiderMonkey. What am I permitted to contain in that > unit by way of copyright? Read the MPL at http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/MPL-1.1.html. Then talk to a lawyer. People here on the newsgroup can give you general advice, but you need to talk to your own lawyer to find out how it applies to your product. Ideally, your company should have an explicit "open source policy" that states which open source licenses are acceptable for use in your products. Here's my take on it, though. IANAL, etc. You're allowed to modify the SpiderMonkey code and headers however you want. You must make the source code available (see MPL 3.2), document the changes (3.3), etc. The modified code must contain the original copyright notices, as required by 3.5. There are a few other requirements too. > I'm also planning to build a product around it, which, I assume, must also > be Open Source. Not necessarily. The MPL is not as "viral" as the GPL. You're allowed to release a commercial, closed-source product that uses a library covered by the MPL. (section 3.7) If you do this you have to meet all the MPL terms for SpiderMonkey (i.e. make its source available), but not for your own code that is not covered by the MPL. Laura Werner .