Re: [PATCH] gnu: Add Biopython.

[ludo@gnu.org (Ludovic Courtès)]

John Darrington <john@darrington.wattle.id.au> skribis:

> On Thu, Apr 16, 2015 at 11:00:30AM +0200, Andreas Enge wrote:
>      
>      It starts like this:
>      "Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
>      documentation with or without modifications and for any purpose and
>      without fee is hereby granted"
>      
>      Does the provision "without fee" make it non-free?
>      
> I don't think it does.
>
> From a native English speaker's perspective, I think it is free.  It 
> says "for any purpose".    Ipso facto, "any purpose" embraces for the purpose
> of pecuniary gain through charges for distribution.
>
> The important words are: "Permission ... without fee ... is hereby granted."
> In other words, the licensor does not demand a fee before granting that permission.
> If it had said "Permission ... upon payment of fee ... will be granted". Then that
> would have made the thing non-free.

Oooh.  IOW “without fee” applies to “Permission”, not to “to use, copy,
modify, and distribute”, right?

That makes sense.  I think I was fooled in the past by similar wording.

Does it sound like 100% non-ambiguous to native speakers reading here?

Thanks,
Ludo’.