If the Program specifies that a proxy can decide which future
versions of the GNU General Public License can be used,
that proxy's public statement of acceptance of a version
permanently authorizes you to choose that version for the
Program.
Later license versions may give you additional or different
permissions. However, no additional obligations are imposed
on any author or copyright holder as a result of your choosing
to follow a later version.
15. Disclaimer of Warranty.
THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE
EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT
WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT
HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE
PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING,
BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND
PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU.
SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU
ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING,
REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
16. Limitation of Liability.
IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR
AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER,
OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MODIFIES AND/OR CONVEYS
THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO
YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING
OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM
(INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA
BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED
BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE
PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS),
EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
17. Interpretation of Sections 15 and 16.
If the disclaimer of warranty and limitation of liability provided
above cannot be given local legal effect according to their
terms, reviewing courts shall apply local law that most
closely approximates an absolute waiver of all civil liability
in connection with the Program, unless a warranty or
assumption of liability accompanies a copy of the Program in
return for a fee.
END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 2.1, February 1999
Copyright (C) 1991, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51
Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301
USA Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim
copies of this license document, but changing it is not
allowed.
[This is the first released version of the Lesser GPL. It also
counts as the successor of the GNU Library Public License,
version 2, hence the version number 2.1.]
Preamble
The licenses for most software are designed to take away
your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU
General Public Licenses are intended to guarantee your
freedom to share and change free software to make sure the
software is free for all its users.
This license, the Lesser General Public License, applies
to some specially designated software packages-typically
libraries-of the Free Software Foundation and other authors
who decide to use it. You can use it too, but we suggest you
first think carefully about whether this license or the ordinary
General Public License is the better strategy to use in any
particular case, based on the explanations below.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom
of use, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed
to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies
of free software (and charge for this service if you wish); that
you receive source code or can get it if you want it; that you
can change the software and use pieces of it in new free
programs; and that you are informed that you can do these
things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that
forbid distributors to deny you these rights or to ask you to
surrender these rights. These restrictions translate to certain
responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the library or
if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of the library, whether
gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights
that we gave you. You must make sure that they, too,
receive or can get the source code. If you link other code
with the library, you must provide complete object files to the
recipients, so that they can relink them with the library after
making changes to the library and recompiling it. And you
must show them these terms so they know their rights.
We protect your rights with a two-step method: (1) we
copyright the library, and (2) we offer you this license, which
gives you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify
the library.
To protect each distributor, we want to make it very clear
that there is no warranty for the free library. Also, if the library
is modified by someone else and passed on, the recipients
should know that what they have is not the original version,
so that the original author's reputation will not be affected by
problems that might be introduced by others.
Finally, software patents pose a constant threat to the
existence of any free program. We wish to make sure that
a company cannot effectively restrict the users of a free
program by obtaining a restrictive license from a patent
holder. Therefore, we insist that any patent license obtained
for a version of the library must be consistent with the full
freedom of use specified in this license.
Most GNU software, including some libraries, is covered
by the ordinary GNU General Public License. This license,
the GNU Lesser General Public License, applies to certain
designated libraries, and is quite different from the ordinary
General Public License. We use this license for certain
libraries in order to permit linking those libraries into non-free
programs.
When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or
using a shared library, the combination of the two is legally
speaking a combined work, a derivative of the original library.
The ordinary General Public License therefore permits such
linking only if the entire combination fits its criteria of freedom.
The Lesser General Public License permits more lax criteria
for linking other code with the library.
We call this license the "Lesser" General Public License
because it does Less to protect the user's freedom than the
ordinary General Public License. It also provides other free
software developers Less of an advantage over competing
non-free programs. These disadvantages are the reason we
use the ordinary General Public License for many libraries.
However, the Lesser license provides advantages in certain
special circumstances.