spf-discuss
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Re: DEPLOY: SPF/Sender ID support in Courier.

2004-08-27 18:15:00
from the mxcomp list:

On Fri, Aug 27, 2004 at 08:01:16PM -0400, Sam Varshavchik wrote:
| 
| The purpose of this message is to clarify my plans for any deployment of 
| the Sender-ID specification in Courier (http://www.courier-mta.org).
| 
| Microsoft has made certain patent claims on the Sender-ID specification. 
| Microsoft has issued the IPR disclosures and royalty free license required 
| by the IETF.  It appears that IETF's contemporary policies do not prevent 
| the sponsor/advocates from including patented IP material into 
| standards-track specifications, without even requiring the sponsor to 
| actually enumerate and identify their intellectual property; a mere claim 
| of the existence of some nebulous IP rights is sufficient, which can be 
| revealed at any point in the future, at the sponsor's discretion.
| 
| The current development version of Courier implements the original 
| SPF-classic specification, that predates Sender-ID.  This will be rolled 
| into a forthcoming release.  I'm quite pleased with the results so far -- 
| there are a lot of classic SPF records in existence, as witnessed by my 
| mail logs :-)
| 
| It will not be possible for me to implement Sender ID in Courier.  Courier 
| is licensed under the GPL.  The FSF already flatly stated that Microsoft's 
| IP license is not GPL compatible.  I reviewed the most recent version of 
| Microsoft's proposed IP license, and I've reached the same conclusion.  For 
| this reason Sender ID cannot be implemented in Courier; Courier's 
| implementation will be limited to the unencumbered SPF-classic.
| 
| -- 
| Sam Varshavchik
| http://www.courier-mta.org
|