diff --git a/COPYING b/COPYING
index 0878c7a76..ef52fb638 100644
--- a/COPYING
+++ b/COPYING
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 The following is the 'standard copyright' agreed upon by most contributors,
-and is currently the canonical license, though a modification is currently
-under discussion.  Copyright holders of new code should use this license
-statement where possible, and append their name to this list.  Please sort
-by surname for people, and by the full name for other entities (e.g.
-Juliusz Chroboczek sorts before Intel Corporation sorts before Daniel
-Stone).
+and is currently the canonical license preferred by the X.Org Foundation.
+This is a slight variant of the common MIT license form published by the
+Open Source Initiative at http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
+
+Copyright holders of new code should use this license statement where
+possible, and insert their name to this list.  Please sort by surname
+for people, and by the full name for other entities (e.g.  Juliusz
+Chroboczek sorts before Intel Corporation sorts before Daniel Stone).
 
 Copyright © 2000-2001 Juliusz Chroboczek
 Copyright © 1998 Egbert Eich