Subj : Re: Need some legal clarification re: spidermonkey To : netscape.public.mozilla.jseng From : "Sterling Bates" Date : Wed Jul 16 2003 07:13 am It looks like that's plenty to get me started on my own. Thanks Laura! "Laura Werner" wrote in message news:bf1qlr$6pr1@ripley.netscape.com... > > 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 > .