Can RasMol be distributed freely, on CD-ROMs, and used freely even for commercial purposes?
Different versions of RasMol have had different rules for redistribution. The rules for the RasMol 2.7 series are intended to allow redistribution on an “open source” basis. The idea is to encourage distribution of RasMol and programs derived from RasMol provided source code and documentation remain available, and a few other sensible conditions are accepted by the distributor. Starting with RasMol release 2.7.3, RasMol may be distributed under the GPL, one of the most popular open source licenses. The specific rules for all recent RasMol releases are given in the file NOTICE. Does this mean I can’t make a commercial graphics program based on RasMol? If what you mean by “commercial” is that you want to distribute binary versions and keep the source code as a secret, no, you may not do that, but if what you mean by “commercial” is that you wish to sell programs and services based on RasMol, that you certainly may do.
Here is a quote from Roger Sayle, author of RasMol, in reply to a 1998 inquiry about commercial use of RasMol: The RasMol molecular graphics package is “public domain”, which in the legal definition is more than just freely redistributable but actually free of all intellectual property right. Although my original vision was to allow it to be redistributed at the back of text books and enable researchers like Eric to collaborate in its development. Indeed about 8 publishers currently bundle it with CD-ROMs or text books, and several people actively continue to independently develop and support RasMol. However the darker side of “public domain” is that companies such as MDL and MSI are able to sell it as a stand-alone product for profit, not only without roytalty but in some cases without acknowledgement. Hence I’m delighted for you to bundle it with your text’s and theres nothing to stop you selling it for profit. But then if another publisher also sells the same stand-alone cheaper, or
