1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/license.txt	Mon Jan 29 20:22:01 2007 +0000
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
     1.4 +                    NETHACK GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
     1.5 +                    (Copyright 1989 M. Stephenson)
     1.6 +
     1.7 +               (Based on the BISON general public license,
     1.8 +                   copyright 1988 Richard M. Stallman)
     1.9 +
    1.10 + Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this
    1.11 + license, but changing it is not allowed.  You can also use this wording to
    1.12 + make the terms for other programs.
    1.13 +
    1.14 +  The license agreements of most software companies keep you at the mercy of
    1.15 +those companies.  By contrast, our general public license is intended to give
    1.16 +everyone the right to share NetHack.  To make sure that you get the rights we
    1.17 +want you to have, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you
    1.18 +these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights.  Hence this license
    1.19 +agreement.
    1.20 +
    1.21 +  Specifically, we want to make sure that you have the right to give away
    1.22 +copies of NetHack, that you receive source code or else can get it if you
    1.23 +want it, that you can change NetHack or use pieces of it in new free
    1.24 +programs, and that you know you can do these things.
    1.25 +
    1.26 +  To make sure that everyone has such rights, we have to forbid you to
    1.27 +deprive anyone else of these rights.  For example, if you distribute copies
    1.28 +of NetHack, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have.  You
    1.29 +must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code.  And you
    1.30 +must tell them their rights.
    1.31 +
    1.32 +  Also, for our own protection, we must make certain that everyone finds out
    1.33 +that there is no warranty for NetHack.  If NetHack is modified by someone
    1.34 +else and passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is
    1.35 +not what we distributed.
    1.36 +
    1.37 +  Therefore we (Mike Stephenson and other holders of NetHack copyrights) make
    1.38 +the following terms which say what you must do to be allowed to distribute or
    1.39 +change NetHack.
    1.40 +
    1.41 +
    1.42 +                        COPYING POLICIES
    1.43 +
    1.44 +  1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of NetHack source code as
    1.45 +you receive it, in any medium, provided that you keep intact the notices on
    1.46 +all files that refer to copyrights, to this License Agreement, and to the
    1.47 +absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the NetHack
    1.48 +program a copy of this License Agreement along with the program.
    1.49 +
    1.50 +  2. You may modify your copy or copies of NetHack or any portion of it, and
    1.51 +copy and distribute such modifications under the terms of Paragraph 1 above
    1.52 +(including distributing this License Agreement), provided that you also do the
    1.53 +following:
    1.54 +
    1.55 +    a) cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you
    1.56 +    changed the files and the date of any change; and
    1.57 +
    1.58 +    b) cause the whole of any work that you distribute or publish, that in
    1.59 +    whole or in part contains or is a derivative of NetHack or any part
    1.60 +    thereof, to be licensed at no charge to all third parties on terms
    1.61 +    identical to those contained in this License Agreement (except that you
    1.62 +    may choose to grant more extensive warranty protection to some or all
    1.63 +    third parties, at your option)
    1.64 +
    1.65 +    c) You may charge a distribution fee for the physical act of
    1.66 +    transferring a copy, and you may at your option offer warranty protection
    1.67 +    in exchange for a fee.
    1.68 +
    1.69 +  3. You may copy and distribute NetHack (or a portion or derivative of it,
    1.70 +under Paragraph 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of
    1.71 +Paragraphs 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:
    1.72 +
    1.73 +    a) accompany it with the complete machine-readable source code, which
    1.74 +    must be distributed under the terms of Paragraphs 1 and 2 above; or,
    1.75 +
    1.76 +    b) accompany it with full information as to how to obtain the complete
    1.77 +    machine-readable source code from an appropriate archive site.  (This
    1.78 +    alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution.)
    1.79 +
    1.80 +For these purposes, complete source code means either the full source
    1.81 +distribution as originally released over Usenet or updated copies of the
    1.82 +files in this distribution used to create the object code or executable.
    1.83 +
    1.84 +  4. You may not copy, sublicense, distribute or transfer NetHack except as
    1.85 +expressly provided under this License Agreement.  Any attempt otherwise to
    1.86 +copy, sublicense, distribute or transfer NetHack is void and your rights to
    1.87 +use the program under this License agreement shall be automatically
    1.88 +terminated.  However, parties who have received computer software programs
    1.89 +from you with this License Agreement will not have their licenses terminated
    1.90 +so long as such parties remain in full compliance.
    1.91 +
    1.92 +
    1.93 +Stated plainly:  You are permitted to modify NetHack, or otherwise use parts
    1.94 +of NetHack, provided that you comply with the conditions specified above;
    1.95 +in particular, your modified NetHack or program containing parts of NetHack
    1.96 +must remain freely available as provided in this License Agreement.  In
    1.97 +other words, go ahead and share NetHack, but don't try to stop anyone else
    1.98 +from sharing it farther.