Message-ID: <4F7A1473.4040806@lojban.org>
Date: Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:04:51 -0400
From: "Bob LeChevalier, President and Founder - LLG" <lojbab@lojban.org>
Organization: The Logical Language Group, Inc.
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To: Robin Lee Powell <rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org>
CC: MikkoMMM <mikkommm@gmail.com>,  lojban@lojban.org
Subject: Re: Is the official gismu list copyrighted?
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Robin Lee Powell wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 01, 2012 at 11:20:03AM +0300, MikkoMMM wrote:
> 
>>I'm thinking about translating the official root word list
>>http://www.lojban.org/publications/wordlists/gismu.txt
>>into Finnish but is it within my rights to do so? How is it licensed?
> 
> 
> We reserve no rights of any kind whatsoever; you can do with it as
> you wish.  This was the issue that caused Lojban to split off from
> Loglan, in fact; the old word list *was* copyrighted.
> 
> This:
> http://www.lojban.org/tiki/LLG+Web+Copyright+License&bl
> is probably the official notice for this purpose, but I believe
> there's a note somewhere that the gismu and cmavo lists are even
> more permissive.

The statement associated with all "language design materials", which 
includes the wordlists, is:

> /* Prepared by The Logical Language Group, Inc.
>    Contact that organization at 2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031 USA
>    703-385-0273
>    lojbab@grebyn.com  */
> 
> /* In accordance with the Logical Language Group, Inc. policy, this
>    material constitutes Lojban language definition materials and is hereby
>    placed irrevocably in the public domain.
> 
> signed:  Robert LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc. */

Of course, as evidenced by the incredibly outdated email address, that 
statement was written some 20 years ago.

Various statements of this sort may be found on the Lojban web site by 
searching for the phrase "public domain".

"Language design materials" include the basic wordlists, and the formal 
grammar, as found in Chapter 21 of CLL, and possibly a few other things. 
  Translations of the wordlists are thus at your discretion with no need 
for permission.  If we were to put your work on the LLG site (with your 
permission), they would also be placed in the public domain (any work 
with public domain materials that you do on your own, unconnected to us, 
would be governed by the laws of your country).

jbovlaste has a statement saying that all submissions are in the public 
domain.

Those things on the website that are NOT explicitly in the public domain 
are generally protected by a loose "copyleft" notice such as the one 
that Robin cited.  CLL has its own specifically worded license which is 
similar to that one.
-- 
Bob LeChevalier    lojbab@lojban.org    www.lojban.org
President and Founder, The Logical Language Group, Inc.