Re: [fluid-dev] Soundfont licensing

[S. Christian Collins]

David Henningsson wrote:
> S. Christian Collins skrev:
>
> All sources are copyrighted one way or another. The question is under
> what license terms you're allowed to use the source. I suggest you read
> the license terms of the Creative/E-MU banks as well as any other free
> bank you remember having taken samples from, to make sure you don't
> violate those terms already.
>   
That's the hard part.  Most of these samples (including the ones 
originally shipped with Creative sound cards) provide no information on 
copyright.  I've already checked the sample history to the best of my 
ability, and I can find no indication that any of the samples in 
GeneralUser are being used illegally.  Now if I were to sell them, I'd 
imagine it would be a different story.  All that being said, most of the 
samples in GeneralUser are either original or heavily modified, and 
those that aren't original are usually buried under original programming 
where they are no longer recognizable.

David Henningsson wrote:
> For example, your soundfont has the following license condition: "Don't
> take portions of GeneralUser GS and claim the work as your own."
> Would you allow someone to take portions of GeneralUser GS, add some of
> his own samples and publish it under another name - just as you did to
> Creative, and possibly more people?
>   
Part of this was in response to a trend years ago where some websites 
were taking SoundFont banks, renaming them and selling them on their 
site.  Some SoundFont authors would also frequently take an existing GM 
bank, change one or two instruments and then release it under a 
different name, which I thought was kind-of cheap.  I never felt that 
GeneralUser was ripping off other banks, because even when I would 
borrow samples, I would modify and change so many things that it 
wouldn't resemble the original anymore.

David Henningsson wrote:
> Last, some personal thoughts. Releasing some work under a "free" license
> means passing through a mental barrier, at least for me. It means giving
> up some rights that you have, and that is sometimes a difficult thing to
> do. And things can go wrong and your work can take turns you did not
> want to in the first place. But there are also chances, that your work
> will become something greater and better than you could ever do
> yourself. Often I'm willing to take that chance. Are you?
>
>   
You know what?  I am willing to take that chance.  Ultimately, I want 
the work I've done to have as much impact as it possibly can, and I 
think that if it can be used alongside FluidSynth to make people's lives 
easier, then I'm all for it.  I will look into the different license 
recommendations I've received and re-release GeneralUser GS under the 
new license.

Thank you for your help :)
-~Chris