Projects that depend on tslib inherit the Microsoft copyright

[evmar]

Hello,

If I build an app that combines tslib with other code -- e.g. use TypeScript in an app -- as far as I understand the license header on https://github.com/Microsoft/tslib/blob/master/tslib.js, it requires me to include that copyright+license in the resulting product.

Is that intentional? I think when I use the TypeScript compiler without the --importHelpers flag, I do not have this additional requirement.

[DanielRosenwasser]

Hmm, this definitely was not the intent; these helpers get auto-injected anyway. Babel has also done this with their helpers under an MIT license which has similar implications. Let me try to figure things out on our end.

[evmar]

Just wanted to ask if there was any progress on this.

[evmar]

Ping again!

[DanielRosenwasser]

As an update, I've reached out to our appropriate legal reps. They're not in the office at the moment so we'll need to wait on that.

[ricmoo]

Heya @DanielRosenwasser !

I would also like to include this in the dist builds of ethers, but the Apache license is incompatible.

Could we possibly get these licensed under multiple, permissive licenses (e.g. MIT, BSD, et cetera)?

Or better yet, just released into the public domain.

Or provide a way in TypeScript to override the library included with importHelpers, so we can override "tslib" with our own implementations.

Thanks! :)

[evmar]

Sorry to re-ping, just wanted to make sure you didn't forget this.

[DanielRosenwasser]

@ricmoo if you're bundling, couldn't you use path aliasing? But I could see that.

Also, looping back with our legal team.

[evmar]

Maybe legal team is now back from vacation and ready to take a fresh look? (Sorry again for all the annoying comments!)

[DanielRosenwasser]

So here's what I can state given the conversations I've had thus far.

Occasionally, the TypeScript compiler injects JavaScript code that users don’t actually write. These are helper functions to make it easier for us to make JavaScript work equivalently with respect to the input TypeScript code. We do not expect users to provide any reference to the Apache 2.0 license governing the TypeScript compiler for the JavaScript code occasionally injected into the output of the compiler. Likewise, we have no expectation that the license text in tslib needs to be retained upon redistribution.

[ricmoo]

Can that “expectation” be put in writing? :)

Maybe a /*! Public domain: Microsoft 2018 */ injected into the code along side it?

[mmotorny]

Please do not use "public domain", it's not a license and it makes it impossible to use such code in corporate context. Essentially, only government or very long time makes code public domain.

[avonwyss]

@mmotorny There are "public-domain" licenses such as the CC0 or the Unlicense which should not be problematic in corporate environments (the problems are when there is no license, because this means that the author retains the copyrights). IMHO any of these should be a good fit for the TSLib code.

[mmotorny]

@avonwyss I'm aware of CC0 and Unlicense, but that's not what @ricmoo was suggesting.

[ricmoo]

Really all I was implying is that the license be inlined, and formalized. Not simply suggested in a GitHub issue that it "should be alright to include"...