[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Copyright question: GNUstep



While packaging the most recent GNUstep snapshots I ran into copyright problem.

GNUstep consists of a makefile environment, an ObjC foundation library, a GUI  
frontend library (device independent) and a GUI backend library. The backend  
is currently available for systems with X11 and DPS support. Those four  
packages are copyright of the FSF and therefore GPL'd. For systems without  
X11/DPS, the DPS support is provided by means of a separate package, the  
Display Ghostscript System. DGS consists of a modified version of ghostscript  
4.03 and the DPSclient library copyrighted by Adobe.


ghostscript 4.03 is currently Aladdin Ghostscript, but will be re-released as  
GNU Ghostscript somewhere in the (near?) future, so this should be a question  
of time.


The DPSclient library has the following copyright. Am I correct that this  
does not comply with the DFSG ? The magic term seems to be "without fee".

 * (c) Copyright 1989-1994 Adobe Systems Incorporated.
 * All rights reserved.
 *
 * Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sublicense this software
 * and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,
 * provided that the above copyright notices appear in all copies and that
 * both those copyright notices and this permission notice appear in
 * supporting documentation and that the name of Adobe Systems Incorporated
 * not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the
 * software without specific, written prior permission.  No trademark license
 * to use the Adobe trademarks is hereby granted.  If the Adobe trademark
 * "Display PostScript"(tm) is used to describe this software, its
 * functionality or for any other purpose, such use shall be limited to a
 * statement that this software works in conjunction with the Display
 * PostScript system.  Proper trademark attribution to reflect Adobe's
 * ownership of the trademark shall be given whenever any such reference to
 * the Display PostScript system is made.
 *
 * ADOBE MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY OF THE SOFTWARE FOR
 * ANY PURPOSE.  IT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY.
 * ADOBE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING ALL
 * IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
 * NON- INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.  IN NO EVENT SHALL ADOBE BE LIABLE
 * TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PARTY FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
 * DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT,
 * NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR ANY OTHER ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR IN
 * CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.  ADOBE WILL NOT
 * PROVIDE ANY TRAINING OR OTHER SUPPORT FOR THE SOFTWARE.
 *
 * Adobe, PostScript, and Display PostScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems
 * Incorporated which may be registered in certain jurisdictions
 *
 * Author:  Adobe Systems Incorporated


The Display Ghostscript daemon is linked against those DPSclient libraries.  
Since Peter L. Deutsch is aware of this, I don't think that he will enforce  
his Aladdin Public License against the GNUstep team, still I'm afraid that  
this package has to go into the non-free section of Debian.


gnustep-make and gnustep-base (the Foundation) are certainly usable without  
the GUI packages, they will go into main. gnustep-gui (the GUI frontend) is  
only usable with a backend, and the only backend currently available,  
gnustep-xdps, depends on X11/DPS which on Linux systems is only provided by  
the non-free DGS. Do I therefore have to put both gnustep-gui and gnustep-xdps  
in contrib ? A funny situation since both are official packages of the GNU  
project.

	Gregor


---
| Gregor Hoffleit     admin MATHInet / contact HeidelNeXT |
| MAIL: Mathematisches Institut   PHONE: (49)6221 56-5771 |
|       INF 288, 69120 Heidelberg / Germany  FAX: 56-3812 |
| EMAIL: flight@mathi.uni-heidelberg.de (NeXTmail)        |


--
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to
debian-devel-request@lists.debian.org . 
Trouble?  e-mail to templin@bucknell.edu .


Reply to: