Merge pull request #1041 from stleary/license-clarification

Enhance README with license clarification

Author: stleary

README.md

@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ JSON in Java [package org.json]
 
 The JSON-Java package is a reference implementation that demonstrates how to parse JSON documents into Java objects and how to generate new JSON documents from the Java classes.
 
+The files in this package implement JSON encoders and decoders. The package can also convert between JSON and XML, HTTP headers, Cookies, and CDL.
+
 Project goals include:
 * Reliable and consistent results
 * Adherence to the JSON specification 
@@ -29,8 +31,16 @@ Project goals include:
 * Maintain backward compatibility
 * Designed and tested to use on Java versions 1.6 - 25
 
+# License Clarification
+This project is in the public domain. This means:
+* You can use this code for any purpose, including commercial projects
+* No attribution or credit is required
+* You can modify, distribute, and sublicense freely
+* There are no conditions or restrictions whatsoever
+
+We recognize this can create uncertainty for some corporate legal departments accustomed to standard licenses like MIT or Apache 2.0.
+If your organization requires a named license for compliance purposes, public domain is functionally equivalent to the Unlicense or CC0 1.0, both of which have been reviewed and accepted by organizations including the Open Source Initiative and Creative Commons. You may reference either when explaining this project's terms to your legal team.
 
-The files in this package implement JSON encoders and decoders. The package can also convert between JSON and XML, HTTP headers, Cookies, and CDL.
 
 # If you would like to contribute to this project