Bug#840573: unicon: DFSG-incompatible license
On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 11:58:00AM +0200, Santiago Vila wrote:
> On Wed, 12 Oct 2016, Joao Eriberto Mota Filho wrote:
>
> > Source: unicon
> > Severity: serious
> > Tags: upstream
> > Justification: Policy 2.2.1
> >
> > Dear Maintainer,
> >
> > The file unicon/ImmModules/cxterm/utils/HZtable.h has the following license:
> >
> > Copyright 1994,1995 by Yongguang Zhang. All Rights Reserved
> >
> > Permission to retain, use, modify, copy, and distribute CXTERM 5.0
> > in source or binary and its documentation (hereafter, the Software)
> > for non-commercial purpose is hereby granted to you without a fee,
> > provided that this entire copyright and permission notice appear in
> > all such copies, that no charge be associated with such copies,
> > that distribution of derivative works (including value-added
> > distributions such as with additional input dictionaries or fonts)
> > include clarification that such added or derived parts are not from
> > the original Software, and that the names of the author(s) not be
> > used to endorse or promote such works.
> >
> > THE AUTHOR(S) DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING
> > ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS, IN NO EVENT SHALL
> > THE AUTHOR(S) BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR
> > ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS,
> > WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION,
> > ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
> >
> > There is a restriction for commercial use.
>
> Probably not the intent (as this is an old license), but certainly
> it's the letter.
>
> BTW: There is a similar wording in the Perl license: "You may not
> charge a fee for this Package itself."
>...
The Perl situation is different.
In Perl this is part of a larger clause in the Artistic licence.
The clause in the Artistic licence explicitely allows charging money for
a software distribution that includes perl, and that makes it DFSG-free.
This is a borderline case, and likely the DFSG are worded this way to
allow code under the Artistic licence in main.
unicon does not allow usage for commercial purpose, which is a clear
violation of DFSG clause 6.
Using Debian in your business, or selling a computer with Debian
installed, are pretty basic usecases that are not possible with
such licencing.
> Thanks.
cu
Adrian
--
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of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
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