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6@setfilename LGPL.info
7
8@center GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
9@center Version 2.1, February 1999
10
11@sp 1
12
13Copyright @copyright{} 1991, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
1459 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
15
16Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this
17license document, but changing it is not allowed.
18
19[This is the first released version of the Lesser GPL.  It also counts
20as the successor of the GNU Library Public License, version 2, hence the
21version number 2.1.]
22
23@sp 1
24@center Preamble
25@sp 1
26
27The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to
28share and change it.  By contrast, the GNU General Public Licenses are
29intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to
30make sure the software is free for all its users.
31
32This license, the Lesser General Public License, applies to some
33specially designated software packages--typically libraries--of the Free
34Software Foundation and other authors who decide to use it.  You can use
35it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether this
36license or the ordinary General Public License is the better strategy to
37use in any particular case, based on the explanations below.
38
39When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom of use, not
40price.  Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you
41have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for
42this service if you wish); that you receive source code or can get it if
43you want it; that you can change the software and use pieces of it in
44new free programs; and that you are informed that you can do these
45things.
46
47To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid
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51
52For example, if you distribute copies of the library, whether gratis or
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59
60We protect your rights with a two-step method: (1) we copyright the
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64To protect each distributor, we want to make it very clear that there is
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70
71Finally, software patents pose a constant threat to the existence of any
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77
78Most GNU software, including some libraries, is covered by the ordinary
79GNU General Public License.  This license, the GNU Lesser General Public
80License, applies to certain designated libraries, and is quite different
81from the ordinary General Public License.  We use this license for
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84
85When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using a
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93We call this license the ``Lesser'' General Public License because it does
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114
115Although the Lesser General Public License is Less protective of the
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125
126@page
127
128@center GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
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133@sp 1
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388@enumerate a
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437If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent
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455It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any
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466This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be
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469@sp 1
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471If the distribution and/or use of the Library is restricted in certain
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477written in the body of this License.
478
479@sp 1
480@item
481The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new versions of
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493
494@sp 1
495@item
496If you wish to incorporate parts of the Library into other free programs
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503
504@sp 1
505@center NO WARRANTY
506@sp 1
507
508@item
509BECAUSE THE LIBRARY IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR
510THE LIBRARY, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.  EXCEPT WHEN
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519@sp 1
520@item
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531@end enumerate
532
533@sp 1
534@center END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
535@sp 1
536@page
537@center How to Apply These Terms to Your New Libraries
538
539If you develop a new library, and you want it to be of the greatest
540possible use to the public, we recommend making it free software that
541everyone can redistribute and change.  You can do so by permitting
542redistribution under these terms (or, alternatively, under the terms of
543the ordinary General Public License).
544
545To apply these terms, attach the following notices to the library.  It
546is safest to attach them to the start of each source file to most
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548at least the ``copyright'' line and a pointer to where the full notice is
549found.
550
551@format
552@t{
553<one line to give the library's name and a brief idea of what it does.>
554Copyright (C) <year>  <name of author>
555
556This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
557modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
558License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
559version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
560
561This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
562but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
563MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
564Lesser General Public License for more details.
565
566You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
567License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
568Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307  USA
569}
570@end format
571
572Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.
573
574You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
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576necessary.  Here is a sample; alter the names:
577
578@format
579@t{
580Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the
581library `Frob' (a library for tweaking knobs) written by James Random Hacker.
582
583<signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1990
584Ty Coon, President of Vice
585}
586@end format
587
588That's all there is to it!
589
590@c @bye
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