INTRODUCTION: Many Facebook projects, including the widely-used React.js, have a different license approach than others: They use a stock OSS license *with* a special patent-related rider (in the case of React.js, this is in a file named PATENTS). This patent rider is asymmetric, which has led to the Apache Software Foundation requiring that *all* of the Apache projects stop incorporating any project with this rider, and it appears that other companies also have this policy. Thus, for some organizations it is vital that they be able to *detect* this rider.
As far as I can tell SPDX currently has no way to report this information. That needs to change. If SPDX *can* report it, please let me know - maybe I missed it! McCoy Smith has noted that there’s an additional source of confusion: ➢ Adding to the confusion is that FB frequently refers to their React.js license as "BSD+Patents" (plural), although that nomenclature appears somewhat recent (and, I think, post-dates the submission of the "BSD+Patent" -- singular -- license to OSI in early 2016). This rider is on a number of popular OSS projects, so I think it meets the conditions for inclusion. Also, I think SPDX needs to add this information *soon* to eliminate the confusion. I proposed the name “ANY-PATENT-ASSERTION-TERMINATES”. This license is *NOT* already listed on the “licenses and exceptions under consideration”: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11AKxLBoN_VXM32OmDTk2hKeYExKzsnPjAVM7rLstQ8s/edit?pli=1#gid=695212681 Again, note that this is NOT the same as BSD-2-Clause-Patent. Since this rider could be applied to many different kinds of licenses, and seems to normally be included as a separate file, I think this should be listed as an exception. Then React's license would be "BSD-3-Clause WITH ANY-PATENT-ASSERTION-TERMINATES-2.0", which I think is fairly clear. I made up the name. As far as I know this was created by Facebook, but there's no reason to believe that it could only be used by Facebook, so I thought it'd be better to focus on its effect. The React text says it's version 2, so I think that should be in the name. I'm sure better names are possible, but I think it should be clear that it involves patent assertions leading to termination. What's more, it's not just an assertion related to the software being distributed - even a patent assertion *unrelated* to the released software will terminate the license (which is why I said "ANY"). ========================= 1. Provide a proposed Full Name for the license or exception: Additional Grant of Patent Rights where patent assertion terminates Version 2 2. Provide a proposed Short Identifier: WITH ANY-PATENT-ASSERTION-TERMINATES-2.0 3. Provide a functioning url reference to the license or exception text, either from the author or a community recognized source: https://github.com/facebook/react/blob/master/PATENTS 4. Create and attach a text file with the license or exception text from the url provided in #3. Please proofread the text file to ensure that: a. Information has not been lost or modified. b. Formatting is clean and consistent with the license or exception URL. 5. Indicate whether the license is OSI-approved (see: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/alphabetical) or whether it has been submitted for approval to the OSI and is currently under review: Not OSI approved 6. Provide a short explanation regarding the need for this license or exception to be included on the SPDX License List, including identifying at least one program that uses this license: See above. It's in wide use, but organizations such as the Apache Software Foundation forbid including software licensed with this exception, so it's important to report its presence. I'm attaching the text by copying it below from <https://github.com/facebook/react/blob/master/PATENTS>; users might replace "Facebook"/"Facebook, Inc." with someone else. --- David A. Wheeler === LICENSE EXCEPTION TEXT === Additional Grant of Patent Rights Version 2 "Software" means the React software distributed by Facebook, Inc. Facebook, Inc. ("Facebook") hereby grants to each recipient of the Software ("you") a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable (subject to the termination provision below) license under any Necessary Claims, to make, have made, use, sell, offer to sell, import, and otherwise transfer the Software. For avoidance of doubt, no license is granted under Facebook's rights in any patent claims that are infringed by (i) modifications to the Software made by you or any third party or (ii) the Software in combination with any software or other technology. The license granted hereunder will terminate, automatically and without notice, if you (or any of your subsidiaries, corporate affiliates or agents) initiate directly or indirectly, or take a direct financial interest in, any Patent Assertion: (i) against Facebook or any of its subsidiaries or corporate affiliates, (ii) against any party if such Patent Assertion arises in whole or in part from any software, technology, product or service of Facebook or any of its subsidiaries or corporate affiliates, or (iii) against any party relating to the Software. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Facebook or any of its subsidiaries or corporate affiliates files a lawsuit alleging patent infringement against you in the first instance, and you respond by filing a patent infringement counterclaim in that lawsuit against that party that is unrelated to the Software, the license granted hereunder will not terminate under section (i) of this paragraph due to such counterclaim. A "Necessary Claim" is a claim of a patent owned by Facebook that is necessarily infringed by the Software standing alone. A "Patent Assertion" is any lawsuit or other action alleging direct, indirect, or contributory infringement or inducement to infringe any patent, including a cross-claim or counterclaim. _______________________________________________ Spdx-legal mailing list Spdx-legal@lists.spdx.org https://lists.spdx.org/mailman/listinfo/spdx-legal