Re: FunnelWeb manuals copyright issues

[Tomasz Wegrzanowski <maniek@beer.com>]

On Sat, Jan 01, 2000 at 02:16:38PM +1030, Ross N. Williams wrote:
> At 7:34 PM +0100 31/12/1999, Tomasz Wegrzanowski wrote:
> >On Fri, Dec 31, 1999 at 10:11:43AM +0100, Yann Dirson wrote:
> > > >    Copyright (c) Ross N. Williams 1992,1999. All rights reserved.
> > > > 
> > > >    Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
> > > >    FunnelWeb manual provided that all notices (including, without
> > > >    limitation, the copyright notice, this permission notice, any record
> > > >    of modification, and all legal notices) are preserved on all copies.
> > > >    Modified versions of this manual, including translations to other
> >       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > > >    languages, may be distributed under the same terms, provided that each
> >                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > > >    modification made to the manual since its original release by Ross N.
> >       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > > >    Williams (www.ross.net) is identified on the page on which it occurs,
> >                               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > > >    and the front page of the manual carries a notice notifying the reader
> > > >    that changes have been made, and referring the reader to the official
> > > >    FunnelWeb website at (www.ross.net/funnelweb/).
> > > 
> > > Looks OK this time - all these restrictions seem to fit within the DFSG
> > > (unless I made a second mistake analysing this ;)
> >
> >Does it mean that on each page of translation I have to put a notice :
> >`this is modified version of FunnelWeb manual by Ross N. Williams (www.ross.net)
> >made by Stasiu Translatorek <stasiu@pertus.com.pl>' ???
> 
> Well, for a pure translation I'd actually be happy with just a front
> page notice, but in my mind, the following would satisfy the black
> letter reading if it appeared as a footnote in size2 on each page:
> 
>   Translated into Scandeluvian by Stasiu Translatorek.
> 
> The footnote could be hyperlinked to a page containing more info.
> 
> Is that so much to ask? All the manuals are in FunnelWeb,
> so this is actually only about ten minutes work changing the
> end-of-page macro in each of the four subwebs. In contrast, it's
> going to take me about another five hours to change the copyright
> message and reship all the webs :-)
> 
> Three options:
> 
>    1. Run with the notice as it stands.
>    2. Run with it now, but weaken it in the next release.
>    3. Weaken it now and reship all the documentation.

Maybe I am some kind of dfsg fanatic, but if someone would like to provide
translations on non-pagable device ? Your license forbid using translations
with aural device (there are no pages there), and what about a-few-dozens-chars/page
device (watches, very little handhelds) ? You see, world is changing, and web means
diversity.

And the real thing:

This requirance, that only derived works with notice on each modified page
are allowed forbids derived works w/o this notice on each page, so
this licence is against dfsg. And this text about frontpage is not good either.
I know, I am annoying, but if you want it to be free, make it free, and
if you dont want our freedom (this doesnt mean `free beer', rather `free speech'),
we can put it to non-free. It is good enough for this archive,

Here are parts of dfsg that decides whether your manuals will be dfsg-free or not.

---- interesting parts of dfsg ----
     Derived Works
          The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must
          allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license
          of the original software.

     Integrity of The Author's Source Code
          The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in
          modified form _only_ if the license allows the distribution of
          ``patch files'' with the source code for the purpose of modifying
          the program at build time.  The license must explicitly permit
          distribution of software built from modified source code.  The
          license may require derived works to carry a different name or
          version number from the original software.  (This is a
          compromise.  The Debian group encourages all authors to not
          restrict any files, source or binary, from being modified.)

     No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
          The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the
          program in a specific field of endeavor.  For example, it may not
          restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being
          used for genetic research.

     Distribution of License
          The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the
          program is redistributed without the need for execution of an
          additional license by those parties.
---- end ----