Community Input on change to the Trust Legal Provisions to accommodate the inclusion of RFC Templates

[Tobias Gondrom <[e-mail]>]

Dear IETFers,

The IETF Trust has been requested by the IESG and RFC Editor to provide 
a license in cases
where RFCs contain Templates. The Trustees propose modifying the Trust 
Legal Provisions
(TLP) based upon a need to extract and fill in text from RFCs that 
contain Templates.  E.g.
the Internet-Draft draft-ietf-sidr-cps-04 contains a Template for others 
to copy and modify.
Under the normal TLP provisions this would be considered a derivative 
work and not permitted.

The current TLP is here: 
<http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info/IETF-TLP-4.pdf>.

The Trustees’ response is a proposed change to the TLP that addresses 
the issue for this and
future RFCs.  The change enables specific text in an RFC that is 
designated as a Template to be
subject to a new provision in the TLP that says that extraction and 
modification are authorized.

The Trustees are considering the following language changes to the TLP 
to permit the modification
of RFC Templates:

9.  Template Text

a.  Certain RFCs may contain text designated as “Template Text” by the 
inclusion of the following
legend in the introduction to the RFC:

     “This RFC contains text intended for use as a template as 
designated below by the markers
<BEGIN TEMPLATE TEXT> and <END TEMPLATE TEXT> or other clear 
designation.  Such
Template Text is subject to the provisions of Section 9(b) of the Trust 
Legal Provisions.”

b.   In addition to the other rights granted under the TLP with respect 
to each RFC, the Trust grants
to all interested persons a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, 
perpetual right and license under
all copyrights and rights of authors to make, reproduce, publish and 
distribute modifications of the
Template Text (e.g., to insert specific information in place of blanks 
or place-holders), and reproduce,
modify and distribute such modified Template Text.

We would like hear your thoughts on changing the Trust Legal Provisions 
to accommodate the inclusion
of RFC Templates. Comments will be considered that are received through 
25th February.

Thank you for your assistance.

Tobias Gondrom
Chair, IETF Trust