copyleft-next

copyleft-next@lists.fedorahosted.org

181 discussions

What's next?
by Richard E. Fontana & Bradley M. Kuhn 30 Jun '25

30 Jun '25

We excitedly announce that the two of us (Richard and Bradley) have been in discussions [1] for a few months to restart, revitalize, and relaunch copyleft-next! Today, GPLv3 turns exactly 18 years old. This month, GPLv2 turned 34 years old. These are both great licenses and we love them. Nevertheless, at least once in a generation, FOSS needs a new approach to strong copyleft. Both of us were involved with the Drafting Committees of GPLv3, and we learned much from what was done right and (frankly) what was done wrong in drafting GPLv3. Indeed, Richard was prescient with copyleft-next — taking lessons learned from the GPLv3 process and doing copyleft license drafting better. So, what Richard began — almost exactly 13 years ago — as an experimental hobby, we relaunch today as a serious and professional effort to create the next generation of copyleft license. As most of you probably know, Bradley works full-time as the policy fellow at Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) — primarily on issues of copyleft. For the last year, Bradley has been slowly making the case internally to ask SFC to provide resources (in the form of infrastructural support and Bradley's staff time) to relaunch copyleft-next. We are pleased to announce that SFC has agreed! SFC will provide system resources to host our website, mailing list, and Forgejo instance [2] for the copyleft-next project, and Bradley will dedicate at least four focused hours/week to the project. Bradley has also created a Mastodon instance for fediverse updates — so you can also follow: https://fedi.copyleft.org/@next A gracious volunteer years ago donated to Bradley the domain name “copyleft.org” as a place to host work to advance copyleft. We're excited to host all these new resources in that domain name. The beginnings of a new website are now live on https://next.copyleft.org/. Bradley and Richard will serve equally as co-Editors-in-Chief of copyleft-next. We will continue with the Hindering Backchannels Rule (HBR) (formerly known as the Harvey Birdman Rule) and also we will work with haste to add an appropriate and more typical Code of Conduct, too. We are thus deprecating this list — effective immediately. We have decided to **NOT automatically resubscribe** anyone here to the new list, so if you want to stay on the list, visit: https://lists.copyleft.org/mailman/listinfo/next We'll leave the archives currently found at https://lists.fedorahosted.org/archives/list/copyleft-next@lists.fedorahost… in place indefinitely, and have a low-priority TODO to migrate the content into the archives of the new list for posterity. Of course, it was always intended that copyleft-next remain an independent project. Both of us will always disclose publicly any (actual or potential) conflicts of interest and our work on copyleft-next will always be in our personal capacities. We ask other contributors to do the same. Relatedly, while SFC has agreed to host and sponsor this project, SFC is currently neutral on the question of whether SFC should be the official license steward of copyleft-next. We have seen various problems regarding stewardship of licenses (even by nonprofit charities), and we expect the issue of “Does copyleft-next need a steward to succeed?” will be an immediate topic of early discussion. We both consider that still an open question. Summary of new URLs for the project: Website: https://next.copyleft.org/ Repository: https://git.copyleft.org/copyleft-next/copyleft-next Mailing List: https://lists.copyleft.org/mailman/listinfo/next next(a)lists.copyleft.org Fedi/Mastodon: https://fedi.copyleft.org/@next Sincerely, Richard E. Fontana and Bradley M. Kuhn [1] It is possible that some of these discussions did not comply with the Hindering Backchannels Rule, but we plan to post HBR Cure posts in the weeks to come. [2] Long-time aficionados will recall copyleft-next was first hosted on GitHub, moved to Gitorious for software freedom reasons, and when (what we called) the “Gitorious Apocalypse” happened, copyleft-next eventually landed back on GitHub. We both feel hosting this project on GitHub is clearly now a Bad Idea, and moving the repositories to the new Forgejo instance at https://git.copyleft.org/copyleft-next/copyleft-next effectively immediately. We'll sort out making it clear on the old GitHub link that it's deprecated in the first weeks of July 2025.

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Testing!
by Richard Fontana 21 Apr '25

21 Apr '25

This is a test!

3 2

[PATCH v11 2/2] testing: use the copyleft-next-0.3.1 SPDX tag
by Luis Chamberlain 03 Oct '22

03 Oct '22

Two selftests drivers exist under the copyleft-next license. These drivers were added prior to SPDX practice taking full swing in the kernel. Now that we have an SPDX tag for copyleft-next-0.3.1 documented, embrace it and remove the boiler plate. Cc: Goldwyn Rodrigues <rgoldwyn(a)suse.com> Cc: Kuno Woudt <kuno(a)frob.nl> Cc: Richard Fontana <fontana(a)sharpeleven.org> Cc: copyleft-next(a)lists.fedorahosted.org Cc: Ciaran Farrell <Ciaran.Farrell(a)suse.com> Cc: Christopher De Nicolo <Christopher.DeNicolo(a)suse.com> Cc: Christoph Hellwig <hch(a)lst.de> Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh(a)linuxfoundation.org> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx(a)linutronix.de> Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet(a)lwn.net> Cc: Thorsten Leemhuis <linux(a)leemhuis.info> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm(a)linux-foundation.org> Reviewed-by: Kees Cook <keescook(a)chromium.org> Signed-off-by: Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> --- lib/test_kmod.c | 12 +----------- lib/test_sysctl.c | 12 +----------- tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh | 13 +------------ tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh | 12 +----------- 4 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 45 deletions(-) diff --git a/lib/test_kmod.c b/lib/test_kmod.c index cb800b1d0d99..6423df9fa8dd 100644 --- a/lib/test_kmod.c +++ b/lib/test_kmod.c @@ -1,18 +1,8 @@ +// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 /* * kmod stress test driver * * Copyright (C) 2017 Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> - * - * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it - * under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free - * Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or at your option any - * later version; or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or - * when incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following - * license: - * - * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it - * under the terms of copyleft-next (version 0.3.1 or later) as published - * at http://copyleft-next.org/. */ #define pr_fmt(fmt) KBUILD_MODNAME ": " fmt diff --git a/lib/test_sysctl.c b/lib/test_sysctl.c index 9a564971f539..e2a816d85ea2 100644 --- a/lib/test_sysctl.c +++ b/lib/test_sysctl.c @@ -1,18 +1,8 @@ +// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 /* * proc sysctl test driver * * Copyright (C) 2017 Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> - * - * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it - * under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free - * Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or at your option any - * later version; or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or - * when incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following - * license: - * - * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it - * under the terms of copyleft-next (version 0.3.1 or later) as published - * at http://copyleft-next.org/. */ /* diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh index afd42387e8b2..7189715d7960 100755 --- a/tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh +++ b/tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh @@ -1,18 +1,7 @@ #!/bin/bash -# +# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 # Copyright (C) 2017 Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> # -# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it -# under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free -# Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or at your option any -# later version; or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or -# when incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following -# license: -# -# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it -# under the terms of copyleft-next (version 0.3.1 or later) as published -# at http://copyleft-next.org/. - # This is a stress test script for kmod, the kernel module loader. It uses # test_kmod which exposes a series of knobs for the API for us so we can # tweak each test in userspace rather than in kernelspace. diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh index f50778a3d744..bfc54b422f25 100755 --- a/tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh +++ b/tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh @@ -1,16 +1,6 @@ #!/bin/bash +# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 # Copyright (C) 2017 Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> -# -# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it -# under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free -# Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or at your option any -# later version; or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or -# when incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following -# license: -# -# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it -# under the terms of copyleft-next (version 0.3.1 or later) as published -# at http://copyleft-next.org/. # This performs a series tests against the proc sysctl interface. -- 2.35.1

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[PATCH v11 1/2] LICENSES: Add the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license
by Luis Chamberlain 03 Oct '22

03 Oct '22

Add the full text of the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license to the kernel tree as well as the required tags for reference and tooling. The license text was copied directly from the copyleft-next project's git tree [0]. Discussion of using copyleft-next-0.3.1 on Linux started since June, 2016 [1]. In the end Linus' preference was to have drivers use MODULE_LICENSE("GPL") to make it clear that the GPL applies when it comes to Linux [2]. Additionally, even though copyleft-next-0.3.1 has been found to be to be GPLv2 compatible by three attorneys at SUSE and Redhat [3], to err on the side of caution we simply recommend to always use the "OR" language for this license [4]. Even though it has been a goal of the project to be GPL-v2 compatible to be certain in 2016 I asked for a clarification about what makes copyleft-next GPLv2 compatible and also asked for a summary of benefits. This prompted some small minor changes to make compatibility even further clear and as of copyleft 0.3.1 compatibility should be crystal clear [5]. The summary of why copyleft-next 0.3.1 is compatible with GPLv2 is explained as follows: Like GPLv2, copyleft-next requires distribution of derivative works ("Derived Works" in copyleft-next 0.3.x) to be under the same license. Ordinarily this would make the two licenses incompatible. However, copyleft-next 0.3.1 says: "If the Derived Work includes material licensed under the GPL, You may instead license the Derived Work under the GPL." "GPL" is defined to include GPLv2. In practice this means copyleft-next code in Linux may be licensed under the GPL2, however there are additional obvious gains for bringing contributions from Linux outbound where copyleft-next is preferred. A summary of benefits why projects outside of Linux might prefer to use copyleft-next >= 0.3.1 over GPLv2: o It is much shorter and simpler o It has an explicit patent license grant, unlike GPLv2 o Its notice preservation conditions are clearer o More free software/open source licenses are compatible with it (via section 4) o The source code requirement triggered by binary distribution is much simpler in a procedural sense o Recipients potentially have a contract claim against distributors who are noncompliant with the source code requirement o There is a built-in inbound=outbound policy for upstream contributions (cf. Apache License 2.0 section 5) o There are disincentives to engage in the controversial practice of copyleft/ proprietary dual-licensing o In 15 years copyleft expires, which can be advantageous for legacy code o There are explicit disincentives to bringing patent infringement claims accusing the licensed work of infringement (see 10b) o There is a cure period for licensees who are not compliant with the license (there is no cure opportunity in GPLv2) o copyleft-next has a 'built-in or-later' provision The first driver submission to Linux under this dual strategy was lib/test_sysctl.c through commit 9308f2f9e7f05 ("test_sysctl: add dedicated proc sysctl test driver") merged in July 2017. Shortly after that I also added test_kmod through commit d9c6a72d6fa29 ("kmod: add test driver to stress test the module loader") in the same month. These two drivers went in just a few months before the SPDX license practice kicked in. In 2018 Kuno Woudt went through the process to get SPDX identifiers for copyleft-next [6] [7]. Although there are SPDX tags for copyleft-next-0.3.0, we only document use in Linux starting from copyleft-next-0.3.1 which makes GPLv2 compatibility crystal clear. This patch will let us update the two Linux selftest drivers in subsequent patches with their respective SPDX license identifiers and let us remove repetitive license boiler plate. [0] https://github.com/copyleft-next/copyleft-next/blob/master/Releases/copylef… [1] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/1465929311-13509-1-git-send-email-mcgrof@kerne… [2] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFyhxcvD+q7tp+-yrSFDKfR0mOHgyEAe=f_94aKLs… [3] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20170516232702.GL17314@wotan.suse.de/ [4] https://lkml.kernel.org/r/1495234558.7848.122.camel@linux.intel.com [5] https://lists.fedorahosted.org/archives/list/copyleft-next@lists.fedorahost… [6] https://spdx.org/licenses/copyleft-next-0.3.0.html [7] https://spdx.org/licenses/copyleft-next-0.3.1.html Cc: Goldwyn Rodrigues <rgoldwyn(a)suse.com> Cc: Kuno Woudt <kuno(a)frob.nl> Cc: Richard Fontana <fontana(a)sharpeleven.org> Cc: copyleft-next(a)lists.fedorahosted.org Cc: Ciaran Farrell <Ciaran.Farrell(a)suse.com> Cc: Christopher De Nicolo <Christopher.DeNicolo(a)suse.com> Cc: Christoph Hellwig <hch(a)lst.de> Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh(a)linuxfoundation.org> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx(a)linutronix.de> Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet(a)lwn.net> Cc: Thorsten Leemhuis <linux(a)leemhuis.info> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm(a)linux-foundation.org> Reviewed-by: Kees Cook <keescook(a)chromium.org> Signed-off-by: Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> --- LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 | 236 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 236 insertions(+) create mode 100644 LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 diff --git a/LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 b/LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..c81acf710657 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 @@ -0,0 +1,236 @@ +Valid-License-Identifier: copyleft-next-0.3.1 +SPDX-URL: https://spdx.org/licenses/copyleft-next-0.3.1 +Usage-Guide: + copyleft-next-0.3.1 is explicitly compatible with GPLv2 (or later) and + can therefore be used for kernel code. Though the best and recommended + practice is to express this in the SPDX license identifier by + licensing the code under both licenses expressed by the OR operator. + To use the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license put the following SPDX tag/value + pair into a comment according to the placement guidelines in the + licensing rules documentation: + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only OR copyleft-next 0.3.1 + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 +License-Text: + +======================================================================= + + copyleft-next 0.3.1 ("this License") + Release date: 2016-04-29 + +1. License Grants; No Trademark License + + Subject to the terms of this License, I grant You: + + a) A non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable + copyright license, to reproduce, Distribute, prepare derivative works + of, publicly perform and publicly display My Work. + + b) A non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable + patent license under Licensed Patents to make, have made, use, sell, + offer for sale, and import Covered Works. + + This License does not grant any rights in My name, trademarks, service + marks, or logos. + +2. Distribution: General Conditions + + You may Distribute Covered Works, provided that You (i) inform + recipients how they can obtain a copy of this License; (ii) satisfy the + applicable conditions of sections 3 through 6; and (iii) preserve all + Legal Notices contained in My Work (to the extent they remain + pertinent). "Legal Notices" means copyright notices, license notices, + license texts, and author attributions, but does not include logos, + other graphical images, trademarks or trademark legends. + +3. Conditions for Distributing Derived Works; Outbound GPL Compatibility + + If You Distribute a Derived Work, You must license the entire Derived + Work as a whole under this License, with prominent notice of such + licensing. This condition may not be avoided through such means as + separate Distribution of portions of the Derived Work. + + If the Derived Work includes material licensed under the GPL, You may + instead license the Derived Work under the GPL. + +4. Condition Against Further Restrictions; Inbound License Compatibility + + When Distributing a Covered Work, You may not impose further + restrictions on the exercise of rights in the Covered Work granted under + this License. This condition is not excused merely because such + restrictions result from Your compliance with conditions or obligations + extrinsic to this License (such as a court order or an agreement with a + third party). + + However, You may Distribute a Covered Work incorporating material + governed by a license that is both OSI-Approved and FSF-Free as of the + release date of this License, provided that compliance with such + other license would not conflict with any conditions stated in other + sections of this License. + +5. Conditions for Distributing Object Code + + You may Distribute an Object Code form of a Covered Work, provided that + you accompany the Object Code with a URL through which the Corresponding + Source is made available, at no charge, by some standard or customary + means of providing network access to source code. + + If you Distribute the Object Code in a physical product or tangible + storage medium ("Product"), the Corresponding Source must be available + through such URL for two years from the date of Your most recent + Distribution of the Object Code in the Product. However, if the Product + itself contains or is accompanied by the Corresponding Source (made + available in a customarily accessible manner), You need not also comply + with the first paragraph of this section. + + Each direct and indirect recipient of the Covered Work from You is an + intended third-party beneficiary of this License solely as to this + section 5, with the right to enforce its terms. + +6. Symmetrical Licensing Condition for Upstream Contributions + + If You Distribute a work to Me specifically for inclusion in or + modification of a Covered Work (a "Patch"), and no explicit licensing + terms apply to the Patch, You license the Patch under this License, to + the extent of Your copyright in the Patch. This condition does not + negate the other conditions of this License, if applicable to the Patch. + +7. Nullification of Copyleft/Proprietary Dual Licensing + + If I offer to license, for a fee, a Covered Work under terms other than + a license that is OSI-Approved or FSF-Free as of the release date of this + License or a numbered version of copyleft-next released by the + Copyleft-Next Project, then the license I grant You under section 1 is no + longer subject to the conditions in sections 3 through 5. + +8. Copyleft Sunset + + The conditions in sections 3 through 5 no longer apply once fifteen + years have elapsed from the date of My first Distribution of My Work + under this License. + +9. Pass-Through + + When You Distribute a Covered Work, the recipient automatically receives + a license to My Work from Me, subject to the terms of this License. + +10. Termination + + Your license grants under section 1 are automatically terminated if You + + a) fail to comply with the conditions of this License, unless You cure + such noncompliance within thirty days after becoming aware of it, or + + b) initiate a patent infringement litigation claim (excluding + declaratory judgment actions, counterclaims, and cross-claims) + alleging that any part of My Work directly or indirectly infringes + any patent. + + Termination of Your license grants extends to all copies of Covered + Works You subsequently obtain. Termination does not terminate the + rights of those who have received copies or rights from You subject to + this License. + + To the extent permission to make copies of a Covered Work is necessary + merely for running it, such permission is not terminable. + +11. Later License Versions + + The Copyleft-Next Project may release new versions of copyleft-next, + designated by a distinguishing version number ("Later Versions"). + Unless I explicitly remove the option of Distributing Covered Works + under Later Versions, You may Distribute Covered Works under any Later + Version. + +** 12. No Warranty ** +** ** +** My Work is provided "as-is", without warranty. You bear the risk ** +** of using it. To the extent permitted by applicable law, each ** +** Distributor of My Work excludes the implied warranties of title, ** +** merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and ** +** non-infringement. ** + +** 13. Limitation of Liability ** +** ** +** To the extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will any ** +** Distributor of My Work be liable to You for any damages ** +** whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, special, incidental, or ** +** consequential damages, whether arising under contract, tort ** +** (including negligence), or otherwise, even where the Distributor ** +** knew or should have known about the possibility of such damages. ** + +14. Severability + + The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this License + does not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of + this License. Such provision is to be reformed to the minimum extent + necessary to make it valid and enforceable. + +15. Definitions + + "Copyleft-Next Project" means the project that maintains the source + code repository at <https://github.com/copyleft-next/copyleft-next.git/> + as of the release date of this License. + + "Corresponding Source" of a Covered Work in Object Code form means (i) + the Source Code form of the Covered Work; (ii) all scripts, + instructions and similar information that are reasonably necessary for + a skilled developer to generate such Object Code from the Source Code + provided under (i); and (iii) a list clearly identifying all Separate + Works (other than those provided in compliance with (ii)) that were + specifically used in building and (if applicable) installing the + Covered Work (for example, a specified proprietary compiler including + its version number). Corresponding Source must be machine-readable. + + "Covered Work" means My Work or a Derived Work. + + "Derived Work" means a work of authorship that copies from, modifies, + adapts, is based on, is a derivative work of, transforms, translates or + contains all or part of My Work, such that copyright permission is + required. The following are not Derived Works: (i) Mere Aggregation; + (ii) a mere reproduction of My Work; and (iii) if My Work fails to + explicitly state an expectation otherwise, a work that merely makes + reference to My Work. + + "Distribute" means to distribute, transfer or make a copy available to + someone else, such that copyright permission is required. + + "Distributor" means Me and anyone else who Distributes a Covered Work. + + "FSF-Free" means classified as 'free' by the Free Software Foundation. + + "GPL" means a version of the GNU General Public License or the GNU + Affero General Public License. + + "I"/"Me"/"My" refers to the individual or legal entity that places My + Work under this License. "You"/"Your" refers to the individual or legal + entity exercising rights in My Work under this License. A legal entity + includes each entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under + common control with such legal entity. "Control" means (a) the power to + direct the actions of such legal entity, whether by contract or + otherwise, or (b) ownership of more than fifty percent of the + outstanding shares or beneficial ownership of such legal entity. + + "Licensed Patents" means all patent claims licensable royalty-free by + Me, now or in the future, that are necessarily infringed by making, + using, or selling My Work, and excludes claims that would be infringed + only as a consequence of further modification of My Work. + + "Mere Aggregation" means an aggregation of a Covered Work with a + Separate Work. + + "My Work" means the particular work of authorship I license to You + under this License. + + "Object Code" means any form of a work that is not Source Code. + + "OSI-Approved" means approved as 'Open Source' by the Open Source + Initiative. + + "Separate Work" means a work that is separate from and independent of a + particular Covered Work and is not by its nature an extension or + enhancement of the Covered Work, and/or a runtime library, standard + library or similar component that is used to generate an Object Code + form of a Covered Work. + + "Source Code" means the preferred form of a work for making + modifications to it. -- 2.35.1

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[PATCH v10 2/2] testing: use the copyleft-next-0.3.1 SPDX tag
by Luis Chamberlain 14 Sep '22

14 Sep '22

Two selftests drivers exist under the copyleft-next license. These drivers were added prior to SPDX practice taking full swing in the kernel. Now that we have an SPDX tag for copylef-next-0.3.1 documented, embrace it and remove the boiler plate. Cc: Goldwyn Rodrigues <rgoldwyn(a)suse.com> Cc: Kuno Woudt <kuno(a)frob.nl> Cc: Richard Fontana <fontana(a)sharpeleven.org> Cc: copyleft-next(a)lists.fedorahosted.org Cc: Ciaran Farrell <Ciaran.Farrell(a)suse.com> Cc: Christopher De Nicolo <Christopher.DeNicolo(a)suse.com> Cc: Christoph Hellwig <hch(a)lst.de> Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh(a)linuxfoundation.org> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx(a)linutronix.de> Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet(a)lwn.net> Cc: Thorsten Leemhuis <linux(a)leemhuis.info> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm(a)linux-foundation.org> Signed-off-by: Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> --- lib/test_kmod.c | 12 +----------- lib/test_sysctl.c | 12 +----------- tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh | 13 +------------ tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh | 12 +----------- 4 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 45 deletions(-) diff --git a/lib/test_kmod.c b/lib/test_kmod.c index cb800b1d0d99..6423df9fa8dd 100644 --- a/lib/test_kmod.c +++ b/lib/test_kmod.c @@ -1,18 +1,8 @@ +// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 /* * kmod stress test driver * * Copyright (C) 2017 Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> - * - * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it - * under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free - * Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or at your option any - * later version; or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or - * when incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following - * license: - * - * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it - * under the terms of copyleft-next (version 0.3.1 or later) as published - * at http://copyleft-next.org/. */ #define pr_fmt(fmt) KBUILD_MODNAME ": " fmt diff --git a/lib/test_sysctl.c b/lib/test_sysctl.c index 9a564971f539..e2a816d85ea2 100644 --- a/lib/test_sysctl.c +++ b/lib/test_sysctl.c @@ -1,18 +1,8 @@ +// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 /* * proc sysctl test driver * * Copyright (C) 2017 Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> - * - * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it - * under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free - * Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or at your option any - * later version; or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or - * when incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following - * license: - * - * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it - * under the terms of copyleft-next (version 0.3.1 or later) as published - * at http://copyleft-next.org/. */ /* diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh index afd42387e8b2..7189715d7960 100755 --- a/tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh +++ b/tools/testing/selftests/kmod/kmod.sh @@ -1,18 +1,7 @@ #!/bin/bash -# +# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 # Copyright (C) 2017 Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> # -# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it -# under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free -# Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or at your option any -# later version; or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or -# when incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following -# license: -# -# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it -# under the terms of copyleft-next (version 0.3.1 or later) as published -# at http://copyleft-next.org/. - # This is a stress test script for kmod, the kernel module loader. It uses # test_kmod which exposes a series of knobs for the API for us so we can # tweak each test in userspace rather than in kernelspace. diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh index f50778a3d744..bfc54b422f25 100755 --- a/tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh +++ b/tools/testing/selftests/sysctl/sysctl.sh @@ -1,16 +1,6 @@ #!/bin/bash +# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 # Copyright (C) 2017 Luis R. Rodriguez <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> -# -# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it -# under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free -# Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or at your option any -# later version; or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or -# when incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following -# license: -# -# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it -# under the terms of copyleft-next (version 0.3.1 or later) as published -# at http://copyleft-next.org/. # This performs a series tests against the proc sysctl interface. -- 2.35.1

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[PATCH v10 1/2] LICENSES: Add the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license
by Luis Chamberlain 14 Sep '22

14 Sep '22

Add the full text of the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license to the kernel tree as well as the required tags for reference and tooling. The license text was copied directly from the copyleft-next project's git tree [0]. Discussion of using copyleft-next-0.3.1 on Linux started since June, 2016 [1]. In the end Linus' preference was to have drivers use MODULE_LICENSE("GPL") to make it clear that the GPL applies when it comes to Linux [2]. Additionally, even though copyleft-next-0.3.1 has been found to be to be GPLv2 compatible by three attorneys at SUSE and Redhat [3], to err on the side of caution we simply recommend to always use the "OR" language for this license [4]. Even though it has been a goal of the project to be GPL-v2 compatible to be certain in 2016 I asked for a clarification about what makes copyleft-next GPLv2 compatible and also asked for a summary of benefits. This prompted some small minor changes to make compatibility even further clear and as of copyleft 0.3.1 compatibility should be crystal clear [5]. The summary of why copyleft-next 0.3.1 is compatible with GPLv2 is explained as follows: Like GPLv2, copyleft-next requires distribution of derivative works ("Derived Works" in copyleft-next 0.3.x) to be under the same license. Ordinarily this would make the two licenses incompatible. However, copyleft-next 0.3.1 says: "If the Derived Work includes material licensed under the GPL, You may instead license the Derived Work under the GPL." "GPL" is defined to include GPLv2. In practice this means copyleft-next code in Linux may be licensed under the GPL2, however there are additional obvious gains for bringing contributions from Linux outbound where copyleft-next is preferred. A summary of benefits why projects outside of Linux might prefer to use copyleft-next >= 0.3.1 over GPLv2: o It is much shorter and simpler o It has an explicit patent license grant, unlike GPLv2 o Its notice preservation conditions are clearer o More free software/open source licenses are compatible with it (via section 4) o The source code requirement triggered by binary distribution is much simpler in a procedural sense o Recipients potentially have a contract claim against distributors who are noncompliant with the source code requirement o There is a built-in inbound=outbound policy for upstream contributions (cf. Apache License 2.0 section 5) o There are disincentives to engage in the controversial practice of copyleft/ proprietary dual-licensing o In 15 years copyleft expires, which can be advantageous for legacy code o There are explicit disincentives to bringing patent infringement claims accusing the licensed work of infringement (see 10b) o There is a cure period for licensees who are not compliant with the license (there is no cure opportunity in GPLv2) o copyleft-next has a 'built-in or-later' provision The first driver submission to Linux under this dual strategy was lib/test_sysctl.c through commit 9308f2f9e7f05 ("test_sysctl: add dedicated proc sysctl test driver") merged in July 2017. Shortly after that I also added test_kmod through commit d9c6a72d6fa29 ("kmod: add test driver to stress test the module loader") in the same month. These two drivers went in just a few months before the SPDX license practice kicked in. In 2018 Kuno Woudt went through the process to get SPDX identifiers for copyleft-next [6] [7]. Although there are SPDX tags for copyleft-next-0.3.0, we only document use in Linux starting from copyleft-next-0.3.1 which makes GPLv2 compatibility crystal clear. This patch will let us update the two Linux selftest drivers in subsequent patches with their respective SPDX license identifiers and let us remove repetitive license boiler plate. [0] https://github.com/copyleft-next/copyleft-next/blob/master/Releases/copylef… [1] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/1465929311-13509-1-git-send-email-mcgrof@kerne… [2] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFyhxcvD+q7tp+-yrSFDKfR0mOHgyEAe=f_94aKLs… [3] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20170516232702.GL17314@wotan.suse.de/ [4] https://lkml.kernel.org/r/1495234558.7848.122.camel@linux.intel.com [5] https://lists.fedorahosted.org/archives/list/copyleft-next@lists.fedorahost… [6] https://spdx.org/licenses/copyleft-next-0.3.0.html [7] https://spdx.org/licenses/copyleft-next-0.3.1.html Cc: Goldwyn Rodrigues <rgoldwyn(a)suse.com> Cc: Kuno Woudt <kuno(a)frob.nl> Cc: Richard Fontana <fontana(a)sharpeleven.org> Cc: copyleft-next(a)lists.fedorahosted.org Cc: Ciaran Farrell <Ciaran.Farrell(a)suse.com> Cc: Christopher De Nicolo <Christopher.DeNicolo(a)suse.com> Cc: Christoph Hellwig <hch(a)lst.de> Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh(a)linuxfoundation.org> Cc: Thomas Gleixner <tglx(a)linutronix.de> Cc: Jonathan Corbet <corbet(a)lwn.net> Cc: Thorsten Leemhuis <linux(a)leemhuis.info> Cc: Andrew Morton <akpm(a)linux-foundation.org> Signed-off-by: Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof(a)kernel.org> --- LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 | 236 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 236 insertions(+) create mode 100644 LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 diff --git a/LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 b/LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..c81acf710657 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSES/dual/copyleft-next-0.3.1 @@ -0,0 +1,236 @@ +Valid-License-Identifier: copyleft-next-0.3.1 +SPDX-URL: https://spdx.org/licenses/copyleft-next-0.3.1 +Usage-Guide: + copyleft-next-0.3.1 is explicitly compatible with GPLv2 (or later) and + can therefore be used for kernel code. Though the best and recommended + practice is to express this in the SPDX license identifier by + licensing the code under both licenses expressed by the OR operator. + To use the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license put the following SPDX tag/value + pair into a comment according to the placement guidelines in the + licensing rules documentation: + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only OR copyleft-next 0.3.1 + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 +License-Text: + +======================================================================= + + copyleft-next 0.3.1 ("this License") + Release date: 2016-04-29 + +1. License Grants; No Trademark License + + Subject to the terms of this License, I grant You: + + a) A non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable + copyright license, to reproduce, Distribute, prepare derivative works + of, publicly perform and publicly display My Work. + + b) A non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable + patent license under Licensed Patents to make, have made, use, sell, + offer for sale, and import Covered Works. + + This License does not grant any rights in My name, trademarks, service + marks, or logos. + +2. Distribution: General Conditions + + You may Distribute Covered Works, provided that You (i) inform + recipients how they can obtain a copy of this License; (ii) satisfy the + applicable conditions of sections 3 through 6; and (iii) preserve all + Legal Notices contained in My Work (to the extent they remain + pertinent). "Legal Notices" means copyright notices, license notices, + license texts, and author attributions, but does not include logos, + other graphical images, trademarks or trademark legends. + +3. Conditions for Distributing Derived Works; Outbound GPL Compatibility + + If You Distribute a Derived Work, You must license the entire Derived + Work as a whole under this License, with prominent notice of such + licensing. This condition may not be avoided through such means as + separate Distribution of portions of the Derived Work. + + If the Derived Work includes material licensed under the GPL, You may + instead license the Derived Work under the GPL. + +4. Condition Against Further Restrictions; Inbound License Compatibility + + When Distributing a Covered Work, You may not impose further + restrictions on the exercise of rights in the Covered Work granted under + this License. This condition is not excused merely because such + restrictions result from Your compliance with conditions or obligations + extrinsic to this License (such as a court order or an agreement with a + third party). + + However, You may Distribute a Covered Work incorporating material + governed by a license that is both OSI-Approved and FSF-Free as of the + release date of this License, provided that compliance with such + other license would not conflict with any conditions stated in other + sections of this License. + +5. Conditions for Distributing Object Code + + You may Distribute an Object Code form of a Covered Work, provided that + you accompany the Object Code with a URL through which the Corresponding + Source is made available, at no charge, by some standard or customary + means of providing network access to source code. + + If you Distribute the Object Code in a physical product or tangible + storage medium ("Product"), the Corresponding Source must be available + through such URL for two years from the date of Your most recent + Distribution of the Object Code in the Product. However, if the Product + itself contains or is accompanied by the Corresponding Source (made + available in a customarily accessible manner), You need not also comply + with the first paragraph of this section. + + Each direct and indirect recipient of the Covered Work from You is an + intended third-party beneficiary of this License solely as to this + section 5, with the right to enforce its terms. + +6. Symmetrical Licensing Condition for Upstream Contributions + + If You Distribute a work to Me specifically for inclusion in or + modification of a Covered Work (a "Patch"), and no explicit licensing + terms apply to the Patch, You license the Patch under this License, to + the extent of Your copyright in the Patch. This condition does not + negate the other conditions of this License, if applicable to the Patch. + +7. Nullification of Copyleft/Proprietary Dual Licensing + + If I offer to license, for a fee, a Covered Work under terms other than + a license that is OSI-Approved or FSF-Free as of the release date of this + License or a numbered version of copyleft-next released by the + Copyleft-Next Project, then the license I grant You under section 1 is no + longer subject to the conditions in sections 3 through 5. + +8. Copyleft Sunset + + The conditions in sections 3 through 5 no longer apply once fifteen + years have elapsed from the date of My first Distribution of My Work + under this License. + +9. Pass-Through + + When You Distribute a Covered Work, the recipient automatically receives + a license to My Work from Me, subject to the terms of this License. + +10. Termination + + Your license grants under section 1 are automatically terminated if You + + a) fail to comply with the conditions of this License, unless You cure + such noncompliance within thirty days after becoming aware of it, or + + b) initiate a patent infringement litigation claim (excluding + declaratory judgment actions, counterclaims, and cross-claims) + alleging that any part of My Work directly or indirectly infringes + any patent. + + Termination of Your license grants extends to all copies of Covered + Works You subsequently obtain. Termination does not terminate the + rights of those who have received copies or rights from You subject to + this License. + + To the extent permission to make copies of a Covered Work is necessary + merely for running it, such permission is not terminable. + +11. Later License Versions + + The Copyleft-Next Project may release new versions of copyleft-next, + designated by a distinguishing version number ("Later Versions"). + Unless I explicitly remove the option of Distributing Covered Works + under Later Versions, You may Distribute Covered Works under any Later + Version. + +** 12. No Warranty ** +** ** +** My Work is provided "as-is", without warranty. You bear the risk ** +** of using it. To the extent permitted by applicable law, each ** +** Distributor of My Work excludes the implied warranties of title, ** +** merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and ** +** non-infringement. ** + +** 13. Limitation of Liability ** +** ** +** To the extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will any ** +** Distributor of My Work be liable to You for any damages ** +** whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, special, incidental, or ** +** consequential damages, whether arising under contract, tort ** +** (including negligence), or otherwise, even where the Distributor ** +** knew or should have known about the possibility of such damages. ** + +14. Severability + + The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this License + does not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of + this License. Such provision is to be reformed to the minimum extent + necessary to make it valid and enforceable. + +15. Definitions + + "Copyleft-Next Project" means the project that maintains the source + code repository at <https://github.com/copyleft-next/copyleft-next.git/> + as of the release date of this License. + + "Corresponding Source" of a Covered Work in Object Code form means (i) + the Source Code form of the Covered Work; (ii) all scripts, + instructions and similar information that are reasonably necessary for + a skilled developer to generate such Object Code from the Source Code + provided under (i); and (iii) a list clearly identifying all Separate + Works (other than those provided in compliance with (ii)) that were + specifically used in building and (if applicable) installing the + Covered Work (for example, a specified proprietary compiler including + its version number). Corresponding Source must be machine-readable. + + "Covered Work" means My Work or a Derived Work. + + "Derived Work" means a work of authorship that copies from, modifies, + adapts, is based on, is a derivative work of, transforms, translates or + contains all or part of My Work, such that copyright permission is + required. The following are not Derived Works: (i) Mere Aggregation; + (ii) a mere reproduction of My Work; and (iii) if My Work fails to + explicitly state an expectation otherwise, a work that merely makes + reference to My Work. + + "Distribute" means to distribute, transfer or make a copy available to + someone else, such that copyright permission is required. + + "Distributor" means Me and anyone else who Distributes a Covered Work. + + "FSF-Free" means classified as 'free' by the Free Software Foundation. + + "GPL" means a version of the GNU General Public License or the GNU + Affero General Public License. + + "I"/"Me"/"My" refers to the individual or legal entity that places My + Work under this License. "You"/"Your" refers to the individual or legal + entity exercising rights in My Work under this License. A legal entity + includes each entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under + common control with such legal entity. "Control" means (a) the power to + direct the actions of such legal entity, whether by contract or + otherwise, or (b) ownership of more than fifty percent of the + outstanding shares or beneficial ownership of such legal entity. + + "Licensed Patents" means all patent claims licensable royalty-free by + Me, now or in the future, that are necessarily infringed by making, + using, or selling My Work, and excludes claims that would be infringed + only as a consequence of further modification of My Work. + + "Mere Aggregation" means an aggregation of a Covered Work with a + Separate Work. + + "My Work" means the particular work of authorship I license to You + under this License. + + "Object Code" means any form of a work that is not Source Code. + + "OSI-Approved" means approved as 'Open Source' by the Open Source + Initiative. + + "Separate Work" means a work that is separate from and independent of a + particular Covered Work and is not by its nature an extension or + enhancement of the Covered Work, and/or a runtime library, standard + library or similar component that is used to generate an Object Code + form of a Covered Work. + + "Source Code" means the preferred form of a work for making + modifications to it. -- 2.35.1

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Re: [PATCH v9 1/6] LICENSES: Add the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license
by Luis Chamberlain 02 Jun '22

02 Jun '22

On Thu, Jun 02, 2022 at 08:20:18AM +0200, gregkh(a)linuxfoundation.org wrote: > On Thu, Jun 02, 2022 at 04:11:16AM +0000, Bird, Tim wrote: > > I don't think that the Linux kernel should be used for license promotion, but if it is, > > then it should be used to promote GPL-v2-only. > > I agree, and in a way, I feel like that is what is happening here for > this original submission. See below for more... I have been using copyleft-next for years and cross polination for me is real. > I agree, dual licensed code that is added to the kernel is either done: > - because the original code had a non-GPL license and it was > added so that it could be compatible so that it could be added > to Linux. > - because the code being accepted into Linux can also be used in > another non-Linux codebase now or in the future. Sometimes such cross polination is purely speculative, but we don't stop and ask people for evidence of this. You forgot that another reason is because some attorneys like some permissive license more. That's it. The Clear BSD license is an example. In that case it was a new license to Linux. So let us be clear that one could argue that was a bit of license promotion. > The submission here was neither of these. You are incorrect. I have a vision for Linux kernel testing and I have put *years* of effort in this regard and thinking about architecture behind all this. So yes cross polination is *extremely* important to me and hence some of this effort. Luis

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Re: [PATCH v9 1/6] LICENSES: Add the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license
by Luis Chamberlain 02 Jun '22

02 Jun '22

On Thu, Jun 02, 2022 at 04:11:16AM +0000, Bird, Tim wrote: > I don't think that the Linux kernel should be used for license promotion, but if it is, > then it should be used to promote GPL-v2-only. I already *used* copyleft-next on Linux on a dual licensed manner, the patches in question are about using SPDX to simpllify things and adaopt the SPDX annotations. And, to re-iterate once more, I'm using copyeft-next as that is *my* license of choice for *any* new software projects I use and I want to enable cross prolination between them. I have been doing this since I wrote CRDA many years ago. I have many reasons for using copyleft-next and I've listed many of the reasons why a free software developer would care to enable this cross polination but yet again you seem to be disregarding all that. This is similar to how 2-cluase BSD is compatible with the GPL and is used for cross polination to BSDs even though in practice a lot of that cross polination may not happen. There are practical uses here and I've been using this license for years now and I have no intention on stopping. Luis

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OSI submission
by Richard Fontana 26 May '22

26 May '22

Does anyone have an opinion on whether copyleft-next (presumably the most recent numbered release) should be submitted for OSI approval? I had given a little thought to the idea in the past, but while I was on the OSI board (2013-2019) I considered it to be inappropriate. Richard

10 10

Re: [PATCH v9 1/6] LICENSES: Add the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license
by Luis Chamberlain 26 May '22

26 May '22

On Wed, May 25, 2022 at 10:51:43PM +0200, Thomas Gleixner wrote: > On Wed, May 25 2022 at 09:57, Luis Chamberlain wrote: > > On Mon, May 23, 2022 at 11:22:36PM +0200, Thomas Gleixner wrote: > >> This paragraph is not really understandable for Joe Developer. > >> > >> copyleft-next-0.3.1 is explicitly compatible with GPLv2 (or later) and > >> can therefore be used for kernel code. Though the best and recommended > >> practice is to express this in the SPDX license identifier by > >> licensing the code under both licenses expressed by the OR operator. > >> > >> Hmm? > > > > Let me try clarifying this further, how about: > > > > copyleft-next-0.3.1 is explicitly compatible with GPLv2 (or later) and > > can therefore be used for kernel code. Despite this, if you use > > copyleft-next-0.3.1 on Linux, the recommended practice is to express > > dual licensing with GPL using in the SPDX license identifiers by > > using by the OR operator. > > 'using in the ..' ? > > and > > 'by using by' is off by one 'by' :) > > I'm not seeing how that clarifies stuff further. I might be biased, but > the version I suggested is crystal clear. Oh sorry, I didn't realize the paragraph you posted was a suggestion, I thought it was the one you were indicating needed further enhancement! I'll just take yours then. > >> > + To use the copyleft-next-0.3.1 license put the following SPDX tag/value > >> > + pair into a comment according to the placement guidelines in the > >> > + licensing rules documentation: > >> > + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 > >> > + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only OR copyleft-next 0.3.1 > >> > + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0+ OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 > >> > + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 > >> > >> Please don't propagate the GPL-2.0 and GPL-2.0+ tags. They are > >> outdated (still valid) in the SPDX spec, which reminds me that I should > >> update the relevant documentation... > > > > OK thanks for the recommendation, I'll leave it at: > > > > + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 > > SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 > > please. See my previous reply quoted above. > > > + SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 Sorry I hadn't had my coffee yet so I should only list: SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only OR copyleft-next 0.3.1 SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later OR copyleft-next-0.3.1 Will do this on the next spin. Luis

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