item for discussion - IAOC Q&A

[Lucy Lynch <llynch at civil-tongue.net>]

All -

As we know you are aware, the IETF has fairly clear rights to make use of RFC 
material generated since RFC 2026, and especially since the ISOC and recently 
IETF Trust copyright has been attached, but the situation is less clear for 
older IETF RFCs. As part of its mission to manage IPR for the IETF, the Trust 
is pleased to let you know that certain authors of early RFCs are now ready to 
sign a simple license, developed with Jorge Contreras, donating such rights as 
they have to the Trust for the benefit of the IETF community. We hope many 
others will follow them.

The proposed text is included below and we invite discussion both on the 
list and during the IAOC Q&A at Wednesday's Plenary. You can also send
comments or questions to: trustees at ietf.org

This particular situation represents the only the "best case" for early 
documents: the authors are available, willing, and they developed the 
documents without the added complications of multiple authors or employer 
interest in the IPR. We're not expecting a landslide transfer of earlier 
RFCs as a result, but we're hoping to set a model and open the dialog with 
other authors.

DRAFT NON-EXCLUSIVE LICENSE (RFC Documents)

  WHEREAS, the undersigned ("Licensor"), alone or jointly with others,
  is the author of all or portions of one or more documents in the
  Request for Comments (RFC) Series beginning with RFC 1 dated 7 April
  1969,  which includes the permanent publications of the IETF, (the
  "Documents"), and/or the assignee of certain rights therein, and

  WHEREAS, Licensor hereby wishes to grant to the IETF Trust, a
  Virginia Trust ("Licensee"), without warranty of any kind, a license
  under any and all copyright and other intellectual property rights
  that he/she may have in and to such Documents ("Licensor's Rights");

  NOW THEREFORE, without limiting the effect of any prior license,
  assignment or transfer, Licensor hereby grants to Licensee, under all
  Licensor's Rights, without warranty of any kind, and Licensee
  accepts, a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, paid-up,
  royalty-free right and license retroactive to the date of creation,
  including the right to sublicense, to reproduce, publish, modify,
  translate, excerpt, combine and create derivative works of the
  Documents and any portions thereof in any and all media, and
  otherwise to exploit the Documents and any portions thereof in any
  manner whatsoever.

Yours,

Lucy Lynch, Chair, IETF Trust
on behalf of the Trustees

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