On 27-02-2017 15:44, Paul Boddie wrote:
What would be interesting to see is an organisation that can invoice people for spending money on Free Software which remains Free Software.
Yes, exactly. An organization to sell license exceptions to GPL software.
Do you think the FSF will endorse such a scheme? (I can't get access to their mailing list even though I am a member).
If the software remains Free Software. If you're selling proprietary licences, I'm pretty sure you'll be told what has already been said in this thread.
But what about a voluntary donation scheme?
Mirko Boehm wrote:
I cannot speak for FSFE, but I think the setup can be made simpler: Anybody can donate to FSFE. Just ask them to provide proof of the donation, and then you give them a license. This way you don’t need any kind of organisation, and no arrangement for handling money.
Yes, but the FSF or FSFE still has to endorse such a scheme because the donors will ask all kind of questions about license conditions, pro forma invoices, and other technicalities.
A scheme with selling proprietary license requires a unification of the copyright. Who should own the copyright, me, FSF, or all contributors? I would prefer to avoid such problems by making donation voluntary.
Is it common to assign the copyright to FSF, even when FSF has nothing to do with the project? I can see the advantage of unifying the copyright, but also administrative burdens on FSF, and potentials for abuse.