= JSON non free license =

== The problem ==

JSON package is licenced under a MIT license but with an additional infamous clause:

The Software shall be used for Good, not Evil.

This license is considered non-free by Debian, [[http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#JSON|GNU Project]], [[http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Licensing:Main#Bad_Licenses|Fedora]], [[http://wonko.com/post/jsmin-isnt-welcome-on-google-code|Google]], [[https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=455507|Red Hat legal]], [[https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#NonFreeSoftwareLicenses|Free Software Foundation]]

The author [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Crockford#Software_license_for_%22Good,_not_Evil%22|Douglas Crockford is well aware]] of the harm he's doing but numerous request from different projects and parties could not change his mind.

== How can I check ==

Lintian will help, see [[http://bugs.debian.org/692616|#692616]].

Check the file for double licensing.

== How to solve ==

 * Reimplement the code - done by the android team (see below)
 * Ask for relicensing upstream - tried, not possible

I started a petition to ask Crockford to change his license, please sign it: https://www.change.org/petitions/douglas-crockford-remove-the-not-evil-clause-from-your-license-because-it-is-evil-itself

=== alternative json implementations for java ===

 * [[https://github.com/openjson/openjson|OpenJSON]]: [[DebianPkg:openjson]]
 * [[http://code.google.com/p/json-simple/|json-simple]]: [[DebianPkg:libjson-simple]]
 * cleanroom reimplementation of [[https://android.googlesource.com/platform/libcore/+log/master/json|json.org by android]] [[DebianPkg:libandroid-json-java]]
 * Google-Web-Toolkit has an [[http://code.google.com/p/google-web-toolkit/source/browse/trunk/dev/core/src/com/google/gwt/dev/json/|alternate JSON implementation]] ([[http://code.google.com/p/google-web-toolkit/source/browse/trunk/elemental/src/elemental/json/impl/|two actually]])

There are many json implementations in Java, but which one is the best to replace json.org?

=== Other upstream software which had or has this bug ===

 * HBase [[https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/HBASE-2383|Issue]] solved.
 * Jitsi [[http://java.net/jira/browse/JITSI-993|Issue]]
 * Transmission BitTorrent Client [[https://trac.transmissionbt.com/ticket/5131|Issue]]
 * Closure-Compiler [[https://github.com/google/closure-compiler/issues/187|Issue]]
 * Jenkins-Json
 * Google Web Toolkit? [[https://github.com/gwtproject/gwt/issues/7852|Issue]]

Debian bugs on json.org usage: [[http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?tag=json-evil-license;users=debian-qa@lists.debian.org|list]]

Maven artifacts depending on json.org [[http://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.json/json/20090211|mvnrepository]]

== I found this bug ==

Please report this bug by adding to the bug header the following usertag and severity:
{{{
severity: serious
user: debian-qa@lists.debian.org
usertags: json-evil-license
}}}

See [[bugs.debian.org/usertags|usertags documentation]] for more information about usertags.

== Links / TODO ==

 * http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2012/11/msg00168.html
 * http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2010/03/msg00064.html
 * http://apebox.org/wordpress/rants/456/