What license/copyright text to include and where to include it when selling a commercial Python based application?

[Malcolm Greene]

Looking for advice on what Python license and copyright text to
include and where to include it when selling a commercial
(Windows based) Python based application.

By license text and copyrights I am refering to the text on this
page:

PYTHON SOFTWARE FOUNDATION LICENSE VERSION 2
http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.6.5/license/

By "where to include it" I mean:

1. What Python license text/copyright text should I place in our
printed user manual?

2. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
our online documentation?

3. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
product's license text file?

4. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
application's splash screen and about dialog boxes?

Thank you,
Malcolm

[Robert Kern]

On 2010-04-12 17:02 PM, Malcolm Greene wrote:
> Looking for advice on what Python license and copyright text to
> include and where to include it when selling a commercial
> (Windows based) Python based application.

The requirement is fairly broad; there are a number of things you could do to
satisfy the requirement. Largely, it's up to you as long as the full license
text is accessible somewhere. I will provide personal, entirely unofficial
recommendations below, though.

> By license text and copyrights I am refering to the text on this
> page:
>
> PYTHON SOFTWARE FOUNDATION LICENSE VERSION 2
> http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.6.5/license/
>
> By "where to include it" I mean:
>
> 1. What Python license text/copyright text should I place in our
> printed user manual?

The whole license and history text, parts A and B.

> 2. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
> our online documentation?

The whole thing.

> 3. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
> product's license text file?

Have a licenses\ directory with a LICENSE_Python.txt containing the whole
license text. Have other LICENSE_<foo>.txt files for any other third-party
libraries you use, like the GUI toolkit.

> 4. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
> application's splash screen and about dialog boxes?

Link to the part of the online documentation that lists the third-party software
that you use.

--
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
an underlying truth."
-- Umberto Eco

[pyt...@bdurham.com]

Thank you Robert!

Regards,
Malcolm

The whole thing.

--
Robert Kern

--
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list

[Martin v. Loewis]

> 1. What Python license text/copyright text should I place in our
> printed user manual?
>
> 2. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
> our online documentation?
>
> 3. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
> product's license text file?
>
> 4. What Python license text/copyright text should I include in
> application's splash screen and about dialog boxes?

IANAL, and you should really ask your own lawyer.

However, the relevant clause seems to be clause 2, which requires you to
retain a copy of the license "in Python alone or in any derivative
version prepared by Licensee".

IIUC, your product will be a derivative version (ask your lawyer whether
that's a correct assessment). Then, the only requirement is to have a
copy of the license in the derivative work, i.e. in the software
installation. No need to include it in the manual, the online
documentation, or the splash screen. Putting it into the product's
license text file might be appropriate, as might be putting it next to it.

Regards,
Martin