Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!news.redatomik.org!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed3a.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
To: python-list@python.org
From: Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu>
Subject: Re: Permission to Showcase the Python Program
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2015 18:46:22 -0400
References: <D19C6E14.35A2%bushl@teachco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.7.0
In-Reply-To: <D19C6E14.35A2%bushl@teachco.com>
Precedence: list
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Message-ID: <mailman.362.1433976427.13271.python-list@python.org>
Lines: 78
NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6
Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:92428

On 6/9/2015 10:19 AM, Leslie Bush wrote:
> I=E2=80=99m having trouble reaching an actual human at your organizatio=
n
 > as my emails get bounced back.

If you sent email to
psf@python.org <psf@python.org>
it should not have bounced, as according to
https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-legal-sig
that is the 'legal email address'.

But I do not think it really matters for your purpose.

> My name is Leslie Bush and I am the Intellectual Property Coordinator
 > for The Great Courses. We produce non-credit, college-level educationa=
l
 > programs on DVD and electronic formats in a lecture series.
 > The lectures are recorded and then sold to the general public for-prof=
it.
 > As a didactic tool for enhancing the programs, we include in the lectu=
res
 > visual elements illustrating works of art, people, events, locations, =

etc....

I am a python core developer, a member of PSF, but otherwise have no=20
official position.  As a parent, I am familiar with The Great Courses,
having used 2 for home schooling.  They were very helpful.

> We are currently producing a course with Dr. John Keyser, Professor of
 > Computer Science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill,=20
entitled
 > =E2=80=9CComputer Science for Everyone: Programming Concepts and Exerc=
ises=E2=80=9D
 > The professor would like to use your Python program to showcase in=20
the course.

Great.  Most of us would consider it silly for him not to.  Most of us=20
would also urge that he use Python 3 rather than Python 2, if he is not=20
already.

 > I am writing to see if we may have permission to do so. If permission
 > is granted, we will have a copy of our license agreement sent over to
 > your company=E2=80=99s authorizer for review and a signature.

I am not a lawyer, but am 99.990% (and I am not exaggerating) sure that=20
the Python license already gives you the permission you need. Our=20
documentation page is at
https://docs.python.org/3/
Clicking the History and License of Python link takes you to
https://docs.python.org/3/license.html
Skip to Terms and conditions for accessing or otherwise using Python
and read PSF LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR PYTHON 3.4.3.  It is about as liberal =

as can be.  It was written by the PSF lawyer and is intended to be a=20
blanket grant of permissiond, so that the PSF will not need to employ an =

'authorizer' to review and sign permissions. This is standard for=20
open-source software.

Companies routinely use Python and write their own public and=20
proprietary code.  People write and sell books about Python or that=20
reference Python.  Universities teach courses that include Python.=20
People post videos about Python.  We WANT people to do all of these=20
things.  They all do it without further agreements and signatures beyond =

what is openly published.

I suspect that some companies paranoid about the possibility of lawsuit=20
may have their own lawyer review the license agreement to make sure it=20
means what it seems to say and that their use falls within the license.=20
  You are free to do the same if worried.

--=20
Terry Jan Reedy