--- a/build-aux/update-copyright
+++ b/build-aux/update-copyright
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
     if 0;
 # Update an FSF copyright year list to include the current year.
 
-my $VERSION = '2011-01-02.19:00'; # UTC
+my $VERSION = '2011-01-02.20:59'; # UTC
 
 # Copyright (C) 2009-2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 #
@@ -22,12 +22,16 @@
 
 # Written by Jim Meyering and Joel E. Denny
 
-# The arguments to this script should be names of files that contain FSF
-# copyright statements to be updated.  For example, you might wish to
-# use the update-copyright target rule in maint.mk from gnulib's
-# maintainer-makefile module.
+# The arguments to this script should be names of files that contain
+# copyright statements to be updated.  The copyright holder's name
+# defaults to "Free Softward Foundation, Inc." but may be changed to
+# any other name by using the "UPDATE_COPYRIGHT_HOLDER" environment
+# variable.
 #
-# Iff an FSF copyright statement is recognized in a file and the final
+# For example, you might wish to use the update-copyright target rule
+# in maint.mk from gnulib's maintainer-makefile module.
+#
+# Iff a copyright statement is recognized in a file and the final
 # year is not the current year, then the statement is updated for the
 # new year and it is reformatted to:
 #
@@ -36,10 +40,10 @@
 #   3. Expand copyright year intervals.  (See "Environment variables"
 #      below.)
 #
-# A warning is printed for every file for which no FSF copyright
+# A warning is printed for every file for which no copyright
 # statement is recognized.
 #
-# Each file's FSF copyright statement must be formated correctly in
+# Each file's copyright statement must be formated correctly in
 # order to be recognized.  For example, each of these is fine:
 #
 #   Copyright @copyright{} 1990-2005, 2007-2009 Free Software
@@ -59,23 +63,17 @@
 #   ## Copyright (C) 1990-2005, 2007-2009 Free Software
 #   #  Foundation, Inc.
 #
-# The following copyright statement is not recognized because the
-# copyright holder is not the FSF:
-#
-#   Copyright (C) 1990-2005, 2007-2009 Acme, Inc.
+# However, any correctly formatted copyright statement following
+# a non-matching copyright statements would be recognized.
 #
-# However, any correctly formatted FSF copyright statement following
-# either of the previous two copyright statements would be recognized.
-#
-# The exact conditions that a file's FSF copyright statement must meet
+# The exact conditions that a file's copyright statement must meet
 # to be recognized are:
 #
-#   1. It is the first FSF copyright statement that meets all of the
-#      following conditions.  Subsequent FSF copyright statements are
+#   1. It is the first copyright statement that meets all of the
+#      following conditions.  Subsequent copyright statements are
 #      ignored.
 #   2. Its format is "Copyright (C)", then a list of copyright years,
-#      and then the name of the copyright holder, which is "Free
-#      Software Foundation, Inc.".
+#      and then the name of the copyright holder.
 #   3. The "(C)" takes one of the following forms or is omitted
 #      entirely:
 #
@@ -84,9 +82,9 @@
 #        C. @copyright{}
 #        D. ©
 #
-#   4. The "Copyright" appears at the beginning of a line except that it
+#   4. The "Copyright" appears at the beginning of a line, except that it
 #      may be prefixed by any sequence (e.g., a comment) of no more than
-#      5 characters.
+#      5 characters -- including white space.
 #   5. Iff such a prefix is present, the same prefix appears at the
 #      beginning of each remaining line within the FSF copyright
 #      statement.  There is one exception in order to support C-style
@@ -116,6 +114,8 @@
 #      UPDATE_COPYRIGHT_YEAR.
 #   4. The default maximum line length for a copyright line is 72.
 #      Set UPDATE_COPYRIGHT_MAX_LINE_LENGTH to use a different length.
+#   5. Set UPDATE_COPYRIGHT_HOLDER if the copyright holder is other
+#      than "Free Software Foundation, Inc.".
 
 use strict;
 use warnings;