diff --git a/COPYRIGHT b/COPYRIGHT
index 1b20b23..a60c174 100644
--- a/COPYRIGHT
+++ b/COPYRIGHT
@@ -140,15 +140,24 @@ can be found in the git version control history of the project. The
 omission of copyright and license comments in each file is in the
 interest of source tree size.
 
-All public header files (include/* and arch/*/bits/*) should be
-treated as Public Domain as they intentionally contain no content
-which can be covered by copyright. Some source modules may fall in
-this category as well. If you believe that a file is so trivial that
-it should be in the Public Domain, please contact the authors and
-request an explicit statement releasing it from copyright.
-
-The following files are trivial, believed not to be copyrightable in
-the first place, and hereby explicitly released to the Public Domain:
-
-All public headers: include/*, arch/*/bits/*
-Startup files: crt/*
+In addition, permission is hereby granted for all public header files
+(include/* and arch/*/bits/*) and crt files intended to be linked into
+applications (crt/*, ldso/dlstart.c, and arch/*/crt_arch.h) to omit
+the copyright notice and permission notice otherwise required by the
+license, and to use these files without any requirement of
+attribution. These files include substantial contributions from:
+
+[list here]
+
+all of whom have explicitly granted such permission. It is our belief
+and intent that these files do not contain substantial creative
+content, except in dlstart.c, and that, standing on their own, they
+would not be subject to copyright anyway. This belief/intent, however,
+should in no way be interpreted as negating the above grants of
+permission.
+
+Some trivial source modules may fall in this category as well. If you
+believe that a file is so trivial that it should not be subject to
+copyright claims, please contact the authors and request an explicit
+statement that the authors agree and grant permission to use it
+without attribution.