From what i can gather, Wesley has every right to do what he did. It's more like Mojang's the jerk here.
Actually, he has Absolutely no right at all. I've been looking into this and checking some precedents. Now, arguably, I am not a lawyer, However.
The claim being made is essentially the following:
1. Wolvereness Wrote code which is now part of Bukkit.
2. Bukkit is GPL.
3. CraftBukkit is a derived work from bukkit.
4. According to the GPL (sections 2 and 3) As a derived work, CraftBukkit must fall under the GPL as well.
5. The claim is that CraftBukkit doesn't.
While 3 is arguable- whether CraftBukkit is truly a derived work from bukkit is a bit questionable since both projects were created as part of an original whole, the premise that CraftBukkit doesn't adhere to the GPL is actually incorrect.
The GPL effectively states that a derived work from a GPL project must also be GPL itself and all it's source released under the GPL.
Thing is- CraftBukkit does this. All of CraftBukkit's source was made available.
Where Wolvereness's claim comes in is that because CraftBukkit contains Mojang deobfuscated code, it doesn't. However- this is false. That code is still being released under the GPL within CraftBukkit. If proprietary code is decompiled and used or otherwise used within a project and the full source is released under the GPL, it is the proprietary copyright being infringed, not the GPL.
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He is not taking down bukkit, just craftbukkit and any projects build using it and the take down is not because he wants his code back it because his code is GPL and some of the files in craftbukkit are not.
If you include any files with a GPL all the code must be GPL, when they made craftbukkit they knew about this problem. However they kept using some of the code/files from Mojang and these files are not GPL so this Wolf filed a claim that the GPL was being violated.
What they could have done was publish craftbukkit without Mojang code and had players who wanted to use craftbukkit down load the server files from Mojang and combine them on their own Pc with craftbukkit then everything would have been fine.
While 3 is arguable- whether CraftBukkit is truly a derived work from bukkit is a bit questionable since both projects were created as part of an original whole, the premise that CraftBukkit doesn't adhere to the GPL is actually incorrect.
The GPL effectively states that a derived work from a GPL project must also be GPL itself and all it's source released under the GPL.
Thing is- CraftBukkit does this. All of CraftBukkit's source was made available.
Releasing a project's source doesn't make it GPL. To be GPL, it has to actually *say* it's GPL, and it has to implement all of the features of GPL - most notably being free, and requiring that all of its derivatives also implement all of the GPL's conditions. CraftBukkit actually is licensed under LGPL, which doesn't much restrict use of derivatives, which is a very important difference.
Technically all the Bukkit derivatives have been illegal, because they include decompiled Mojang code, which none of the various Bukkit/Craftbukkit entities ever have had the right to release. However, since Mojang now owns Bukkit, for them to release a GPL Bukkit would actually put out the relevant sections of code under GPL, which they aren't willing to do. So Mojang wants to de-GPL the Bukkit license, but that would also de-GPL Wolvereness' work, so Wolvereness is acting to keep Bukkit GPL.
Motives are speculative but I suspect it's ideological. GPL is a creation of an anti-copyright movement, intended in the long term to make proprietary software inferior to open-source software and thus make all (or at least most) software free and open-source. You don't use GPL if your intent is to make your software just available for anybody to use or modify - for that you use a less restrictive license like the LGPL (as I do with my mods.) You certainly don't use GPL if you're hoping to make big bucks, so I don't think he's doing this for the money.
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Technically all the Bukkit derivatives have been illegal, because they include decompiled Mojang code..
How does this apply to mods? I've had somebody (ironically, a modder themselves, the one making the Tall Worlds (Cubic Chunks) mod, which they've even made their own API for instead of using Forge, etc - undoubtedly requiring extensive modifications to the game, never mind making it use Cubic Chunks) claim that my own mods were illegally distributing Mojang's code, yet I sure haven't seen anything be done about it; certainly, MCF/Curse wouldn't want a DMCA takedown issued against them for hosting illegal content. Even Forge mods often contain Mojang's code; such as your own Cave Control mod (you even made the source available, the method "func_151538_a" is almost identical to the one in the MCP source). The EULA itself is also unclear on the status of distributing mods, as I mentioned earlier; first they say you can't distribute modified versions of the game but then say you can distribute mods (what does "modified versions" mean though? I've seen people say it is complete working jars, which would include Bukkit, but not a mod that can't run by itself, but that aforementioned person said it was anything). It is also ironic that MCP still exists if mods are really illegal.
He is not taking down bukkit, just craftbukkit and any projects build using it and the take down is not because he wants his code back it because his code is GPL and some of the files in craftbukkit are not.
If you include any files with a GPL all the code must be GPL, when they made craftbukkit they knew about this problem. However they kept using some of the code/files from Mojang and these files are not GPL so this Wolf filed a claim that the GPL was being violated.
What they could have done was publish craftbukkit without Mojang code and had players who wanted to use craftbukkit down load the server files from Mojang and combine them on their own Pc with craftbukkit then everything would have been fine.
All of Craftbukkit's code was released under the GPL.
With mods Mojang is trying to allow people to modify they source as long as it isn't done commercially. IANAL, but I don't think the EULA is formal enough to determine whether a given mod is acceptable use or not. In the US, at any rate, Mojang would certainly be entitled to halt distribution of any mod containing any chunk of modified Mojang code, which would certainly include mine. At present they're choosing to halt mods being sold and not mods being given away. It's legally grey, and Mojang is using that to their advantage.
What's definitely illegal, however, is slapping a restrictive license like GPL onto code derived from Mojang. CraftBukkit may or may not have the right to distribute some modified parts of Mojang source under the "you can distribute mods for free" business. But Bukkit most certainly can't put significant restrictions on their modified Mojang code. If Bukkit had been written in two parts, they could probably distribute the unique part under GPL and the modified Mojang stuff under the EULA (again, probably, because the EULA isn't clear on this). But it's not (has any modder gone to that trouble?) and the problem is that whatever license Bukkit goes out under includes both Wolvereness' personal work and modified Mojang code and there's probably no way to bridge Wolvereness's (apparent) commitment to copyleft and Mojang's commitment to copyright.
All of Craftbukkit's code was released under the GPL.
LGPL actually, which all by itself means it's in violation of the GPL license of Bukkit.
Furthermore, CraftBukkit includes deobfuscated proprietary Minecraft server code, which is again a violation. CraftBukkit, as is, can only be distributed if the wronged parties (Mojang via their server code, and Bukkit contributors who contributed under terms of the GPL) look the other way. One of the Bukkit contributors is no longer doing so, and CraftBukkit can no longer be distributed unless A: it is actually in fact released under the GPL (all of it, including the MC Server bit) or B: the rights holders all go back to looking the other way. Since Wesley is unlikely to do so, B cannot happen until all of his code is removed.
CraftBukkit is probably dead. As a derivative work of the GPLd Bukkit, it cannot be distributed with a more permissive license. Either Bukkit goes LGPL (which Wesley will likely not accede to, meaning his code would have to be removed - though at 20,000+ LOC that is itself also not likely. Also the same goes for all other Bukkit contributors), or CraftBukkit (including the Mojang bits) goes GPL (which Mojang is not likely to accede to)
Neither party can be forced to accept a new license and anyone who suggests otherwise is being ridiculous. But if neither side does, then CraftBukkit cannot be distributed, and Wesley is entirely within his legal rights to insist on this.
What's definitely illegal, however, is slapping a restrictive license like GPL onto code derived from Mojang ... If Bukkit had been written in two parts
That is exactly the purpose for the division between Bukkit and CraftBukkit. Bukkit is independent and neither contains nor links to Mojang code, and is fine to be under the GPL. CraftBukkit could theoretically been released under terms of Mojangs proprietary license (though it could not then have been linked against the GPL Bukkit). As it is, it violates the rights of both Bukkit's contributors and Mojang.
The only way it could have possibly worked was for CraftBukkit to somehow be distributed under Mojangs proprietary license, and Bukkit to be LGPL so CraftBukkit could link to it. The choice of licenses was a gigantic fail right from the start.
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I'm not sure what exactly is going on with these companies, but from what I see Minecraft is shutting down Bukkit and Spigot as a way to shutdown P2W servers, that's their scapegoat for really just wanting to promote minecraft realms imo. If I'm wrong someone just tell me because this things over my head with all this legal crap.
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The only way it could have possibly worked was for CraftBukkit to somehow be distributed under Mojangs proprietary license, and Bukkit to be LGPL so CraftBukkit could link to it. The choice of licenses was a gigantic fail right from the start.
UNLESS CraftBukkit is not a derivative work of Bukkit.
I'm not sure what exactly is going on with these companies, but from what I see Minecraft is shutting down Bukkit and Spigot as a way to shutdown P2W servers, that's their scapegoat for really just wanting to promote minecraft realms imo. If I'm wrong someone just tell me because this things over my head with all this legal crap.
You could not be any less correct on the subject. You could have written a recipe for carrot cake and been closer to the mark. Mojang isn't trying to shut anybody down - quite the opposite - and absolutely nothing in this entire situation has anything to do with pay-to-win servers.
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This is all a plot by mojang, They paid wolverness to leave so they could crack down on pay 2 win servers.He left then claimed a DMCA take down of his code from bukkit. Mojang faked coming in as the hero to save bukkit, while wolverness took all the heat.There was no reason for him to quit so abruptly like that.He was bought out by mojang thats why.
Mojang will Destroy its community from the inside out, Just so they can crack down on pay2win.
Dinnerbone might still work on bukkit, but the focus now is realms.
Mojang will probably release its own bukkit type thing, but will probably charge for Plugins.
Great, just great. Minecraft is screwed. Without bukkit, what is going to happen? Mojang has almost succeeded at killing the Classic Minecraft community, and now they are trying to kill the rest off in a 2nd round with EULA's and such. I think Minecraft 1.8 is and will be the last version to ever be made.
The bukkit developers are stepping down, they are leaving for good. As a result of this, Mojang basically says "We will not let bukkit die". So now, Dinnerbone is going to update the bukkit API himself to Minecraft 1.8. I believe now that Mojang has taken over bukkit, this will definitely change how bukkit operates. As of spigot, I've heard they've also currently closed due to the DMCA takedown request.
~If anyone has information on BungeeCord, let me know!
You could not be any less correct on the subject. You could have written a recipe for carrot cake and been closer to the mark. Mojang isn't trying to shut anybody down - quite the opposite - and absolutely nothing in this entire situation has anything to do with pay-to-win servers.
Ok, mojang is not trying to shut anyone down? 90% of the minecraft servers use bukkit, which is now gone. Guess what, they are shutting people down whether or not it's intended. And EULA has to do with pay-to-win, having done this shortly after releasing EULA has the vibe that Mojang is tired of people profiting off their game so they are shutting down major companies like Bukkit and Spigot and people will have no choice to but to use vanilla minecraft whether it be hosted from minecraft realms or off their personal PC. Also, all you did was disagree with me but provided me with absolutely nothing. Please tell me how mojang is not trying to shut down servers?
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Who cares if Bukkit gets updated? Everyone left. sk89q, the guy who is know for WorldEdit and WorldGuard, is spearheading the Sponge movement. As many others are joining him, I doubt I will stay on Bukkit. hMod had it's time in the sun, and so did Bukkit. Time to move on.
Besides, I am looking forward to a Forge-compatible server. I am working on a Cauldron 1.7.10 server with Bukkit and Technic mods to sate me until this blows over. If not, I stay version-locked.
Actually, he has Absolutely no right at all. I've been looking into this and checking some precedents. Now, arguably, I am not a lawyer, However.
The claim being made is essentially the following:
1. Wolvereness Wrote code which is now part of Bukkit.
2. Bukkit is GPL.
3. CraftBukkit is a derived work from bukkit.
4. According to the GPL (sections 2 and 3) As a derived work, CraftBukkit must fall under the GPL as well.
5. The claim is that CraftBukkit doesn't.
While 3 is arguable- whether CraftBukkit is truly a derived work from bukkit is a bit questionable since both projects were created as part of an original whole, the premise that CraftBukkit doesn't adhere to the GPL is actually incorrect.
The GPL effectively states that a derived work from a GPL project must also be GPL itself and all it's source released under the GPL.
Thing is- CraftBukkit does this. All of CraftBukkit's source was made available.
Where Wolvereness's claim comes in is that because CraftBukkit contains Mojang deobfuscated code, it doesn't. However- this is false. That code is still being released under the GPL within CraftBukkit. If proprietary code is decompiled and used or otherwise used within a project and the full source is released under the GPL, it is the proprietary copyright being infringed, not the GPL.
If you include any files with a GPL all the code must be GPL, when they made craftbukkit they knew about this problem. However they kept using some of the code/files from Mojang and these files are not GPL so this Wolf filed a claim that the GPL was being violated.
What they could have done was publish craftbukkit without Mojang code and had players who wanted to use craftbukkit down load the server files from Mojang and combine them on their own Pc with craftbukkit then everything would have been fine.
If we are going to talk about multiple issues, then, which was it that the claim was filed for?
Releasing a project's source doesn't make it GPL. To be GPL, it has to actually *say* it's GPL, and it has to implement all of the features of GPL - most notably being free, and requiring that all of its derivatives also implement all of the GPL's conditions. CraftBukkit actually is licensed under LGPL, which doesn't much restrict use of derivatives, which is a very important difference.
Technically all the Bukkit derivatives have been illegal, because they include decompiled Mojang code, which none of the various Bukkit/Craftbukkit entities ever have had the right to release. However, since Mojang now owns Bukkit, for them to release a GPL Bukkit would actually put out the relevant sections of code under GPL, which they aren't willing to do. So Mojang wants to de-GPL the Bukkit license, but that would also de-GPL Wolvereness' work, so Wolvereness is acting to keep Bukkit GPL.
Motives are speculative but I suspect it's ideological. GPL is a creation of an anti-copyright movement, intended in the long term to make proprietary software inferior to open-source software and thus make all (or at least most) software free and open-source. You don't use GPL if your intent is to make your software just available for anybody to use or modify - for that you use a less restrictive license like the LGPL (as I do with my mods.) You certainly don't use GPL if you're hoping to make big bucks, so I don't think he's doing this for the money.
Geographicraft (formerly Climate Control) - Control climate, ocean, and land sizes; stop chunk walls; put modded biomes into Default worlds, and more!
RTG plus - All the beautiful terrain of RTG, plus varied and beautiful trees and forests.
How does this apply to mods? I've had somebody (ironically, a modder themselves, the one making the Tall Worlds (Cubic Chunks) mod, which they've even made their own API for instead of using Forge, etc - undoubtedly requiring extensive modifications to the game, never mind making it use Cubic Chunks) claim that my own mods were illegally distributing Mojang's code, yet I sure haven't seen anything be done about it; certainly, MCF/Curse wouldn't want a DMCA takedown issued against them for hosting illegal content. Even Forge mods often contain Mojang's code; such as your own Cave Control mod (you even made the source available, the method "func_151538_a" is almost identical to the one in the MCP source). The EULA itself is also unclear on the status of distributing mods, as I mentioned earlier; first they say you can't distribute modified versions of the game but then say you can distribute mods (what does "modified versions" mean though? I've seen people say it is complete working jars, which would include Bukkit, but not a mod that can't run by itself, but that aforementioned person said it was anything). It is also ironic that MCP still exists if mods are really illegal.
TheMasterCaver's First World - possibly the most caved-out world in Minecraft history - includes world download.
TheMasterCaver's World - my own version of Minecraft largely based on my views of how the game should have evolved since 1.6.4.
Why do I still play in 1.6.4?
All of Craftbukkit's code was released under the GPL.
With mods Mojang is trying to allow people to modify they source as long as it isn't done commercially. IANAL, but I don't think the EULA is formal enough to determine whether a given mod is acceptable use or not. In the US, at any rate, Mojang would certainly be entitled to halt distribution of any mod containing any chunk of modified Mojang code, which would certainly include mine. At present they're choosing to halt mods being sold and not mods being given away. It's legally grey, and Mojang is using that to their advantage.
What's definitely illegal, however, is slapping a restrictive license like GPL onto code derived from Mojang. CraftBukkit may or may not have the right to distribute some modified parts of Mojang source under the "you can distribute mods for free" business. But Bukkit most certainly can't put significant restrictions on their modified Mojang code. If Bukkit had been written in two parts, they could probably distribute the unique part under GPL and the modified Mojang stuff under the EULA (again, probably, because the EULA isn't clear on this). But it's not (has any modder gone to that trouble?) and the problem is that whatever license Bukkit goes out under includes both Wolvereness' personal work and modified Mojang code and there's probably no way to bridge Wolvereness's (apparent) commitment to copyleft and Mojang's commitment to copyright.
Geographicraft (formerly Climate Control) - Control climate, ocean, and land sizes; stop chunk walls; put modded biomes into Default worlds, and more!
RTG plus - All the beautiful terrain of RTG, plus varied and beautiful trees and forests.
LGPL actually, which all by itself means it's in violation of the GPL license of Bukkit.
Furthermore, CraftBukkit includes deobfuscated proprietary Minecraft server code, which is again a violation. CraftBukkit, as is, can only be distributed if the wronged parties (Mojang via their server code, and Bukkit contributors who contributed under terms of the GPL) look the other way. One of the Bukkit contributors is no longer doing so, and CraftBukkit can no longer be distributed unless A: it is actually in fact released under the GPL (all of it, including the MC Server bit) or B: the rights holders all go back to looking the other way. Since Wesley is unlikely to do so, B cannot happen until all of his code is removed.
CraftBukkit is probably dead. As a derivative work of the GPLd Bukkit, it cannot be distributed with a more permissive license. Either Bukkit goes LGPL (which Wesley will likely not accede to, meaning his code would have to be removed - though at 20,000+ LOC that is itself also not likely. Also the same goes for all other Bukkit contributors), or CraftBukkit (including the Mojang bits) goes GPL (which Mojang is not likely to accede to)
Neither party can be forced to accept a new license and anyone who suggests otherwise is being ridiculous. But if neither side does, then CraftBukkit cannot be distributed, and Wesley is entirely within his legal rights to insist on this.
That is exactly the purpose for the division between Bukkit and CraftBukkit. Bukkit is independent and neither contains nor links to Mojang code, and is fine to be under the GPL. CraftBukkit could theoretically been released under terms of Mojangs proprietary license (though it could not then have been linked against the GPL Bukkit). As it is, it violates the rights of both Bukkit's contributors and Mojang.
The only way it could have possibly worked was for CraftBukkit to somehow be distributed under Mojangs proprietary license, and Bukkit to be LGPL so CraftBukkit could link to it. The choice of licenses was a gigantic fail right from the start.
UNLESS CraftBukkit is not a derivative work of Bukkit.
Putting the CENDENT back in transcendent!
It is though, and quite obviously so
You could not be any less correct on the subject. You could have written a recipe for carrot cake and been closer to the mark. Mojang isn't trying to shut anybody down - quite the opposite - and absolutely nothing in this entire situation has anything to do with pay-to-win servers.
But Small servers are going Bye Bye
Mojang will Destroy its community from the inside out, Just so they can crack down on pay2win.
Dinnerbone might still work on bukkit, but the focus now is realms.
Mojang will probably release its own bukkit type thing, but will probably charge for Plugins.
Feel free to criticize me!
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Bukkit Post: http://dl.bukkit.org/dmca/notification.txt
Spigot Post: http://www.spigotmc.org/threads/our-dmca-response.28772/
Ok, mojang is not trying to shut anyone down? 90% of the minecraft servers use bukkit, which is now gone. Guess what, they are shutting people down whether or not it's intended. And EULA has to do with pay-to-win, having done this shortly after releasing EULA has the vibe that Mojang is tired of people profiting off their game so they are shutting down major companies like Bukkit and Spigot and people will have no choice to but to use vanilla minecraft whether it be hosted from minecraft realms or off their personal PC. Also, all you did was disagree with me but provided me with absolutely nothing. Please tell me how mojang is not trying to shut down servers?
Besides, I am looking forward to a Forge-compatible server. I am working on a Cauldron 1.7.10 server with Bukkit and Technic mods to sate me until this blows over. If not, I stay version-locked.