Carl Tyler's Blog :: Code sample license discussions

Category Sametime IBM

There's been a lot of discussion lately around the OpenNTF licensing of sample code, and I'm staying well out of that discussion as to be honest it's best left to lawyers and the folks involved. But I do have a question that is semi related, what is the license for IBM's Sample code? The Sametime sample code all have the following:

/*
* Licensed Materials - Property of IBM
*
* L-KBIM-7KG3NS
*
* (C) Copyright IBM Corp. 2002, 2008. All rights reserved.
*
* US Government Users Restricted Rights- Use, duplication or
* disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
*/

Does anyone know what this means legally? Does that mean legally customers cannot use this sample as a starting point for their own apps, even if it isn't their intent? Can anyone comment? Could the samples have the apache license applied to them? I've always taken it as granted that IBM would never come after someone that used their sample code as a starting point, but legally is that correct?

Comments

1 - non free...

Property of IBM, All right reserved, Use, duplication and disclosure restricted...

Apache is probably the complete opposite...

IANAL...

Posted by Jan Schulz At 12:58:59 PM On 07/10/2009 | - Website - |

2 - The two key licenses for you are the top two. The other is for the US government. It means you can't use this code without permission of IBM embeded as part of your code/product. If it has any link interfaces you are entitled to use the link as an interface to your code.
Does that make sense to you.

Posted by Dad At 04:40:24 PM On 07/10/2009 | - Website - |