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

Re: Ongoing Firefox (and Thunderbird) Trademark problems



* Adrian von Bidder (avbidder@fortytwo.ch) wrote:
> On Tuesday 14 June 2005 18.21, Eric Dorland wrote:
> > * Matthew Garrett (mgarrett@chiark.greenend.org.uk) wrote:
> > > Julien BLACHE <jblache@debian.org> wrote:
> > > > Matthew Garrett <mgarrett@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> > > >> What is DFSG 4 if not a grudging acceptance of this sort of
> > > >> behaviour as free?
> > > >
> > > >   (This is a compromise. The Debian Project encourages all authors to
> > > >   not restrict any files, source or binary, from being modified.)
> > > >
> > > > Says it all.
> > >
> > > Right. We don't like it, but we think it's free.
> > >
> > > > Requiring a name change because we apply a security patch or fix a
> > > > bug crosses the border. It's not like if we were forking their
> > > > codebase.
> > >
> > > We have permission to apply security patches and fix bugs without
> > > changing the name.
> >
> > We (as in Debian) may have the permission, but that permission does
> > not flow downstream.
> 
> So?
> 
> As I understand DSFG 8, this covers only the case that the firefox package 
> distributed by Debian *as is* must still be usable legally when used 
> outside Debian.

Come on, that can't possibly be the intention. I could craft a license
that says "you have all the rights of the BSD license, as long as your
code is exactly the same as it is in Debian". That would be
insane. 

The first sentence goes "The rights attached to the program must not depend
on the program's being part of a Debian system.". Clearly if we
accepted the MoFo proposal, the program would have more rights within
Debian than without, and wouldn't be compatible with DFSG #8.
 
> Yes, it's not nice, it's crap, but it's still entirely possible within the 
> (pseudo-)legal framewark Debian gives itself.
> 
> cheers
> -- vbi
> 



-- 
Eric Dorland <eric.dorland@mail.mcgill.ca>
ICQ: #61138586, Jabber: hooty@jabber.com
1024D/16D970C6 097C 4861 9934 27A0 8E1C  2B0A 61E9 8ECF 16D9 70C6

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12
GCS d- s++: a-- C+++ UL+++ P++ L++ E++ W++ N+ o K- w+ 
O? M++ V-- PS+ PE Y+ PGP++ t++ 5++ X+ R tv++ b+++ DI+ D+ 
G e h! r- y+ 
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

Attachment: signature.asc
Description: Digital signature


Reply to: