request-tracker3: license shadiness
The start of /usr/share/request-tracker3/libexec/webmux.pl is:
#!/usr/bin/perl
# BEGIN LICENSE BLOCK
#
# Copyright (c) 1996-2003 Jesse Vincent <jesse@bestpractical.com>
#
# (Except where explictly superceded by other copyright notices)
#
# This work is made available to you under the terms of Version 2 of
# the GNU General Public License. A copy of that license should have
# been provided with this software, but in any event can be snarfed
# from www.gnu.org.
#
# This work is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
# WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
# General Public License for more details.
#
# Unless otherwise specified, all modifications, corrections or
# extensions to this work which alter its source code become the
# property of Best Practical Solutions, LLC when submitted for
# inclusion in the work.
#
#
# END LICENSE BLOCK
Similar blocks are in the HTML source files for rt3.
What is the impact of the third paragraph?
I know it is not binding in the USA, since a copyright conveyance must
be explicitly signed and must identify the specific works for which
copyright is being transferred (17 USC 204 for those not intimately
familiar with the US Code).
Can Debian properly redistribute rt3 if rt3 alleges both distribution
under the GPL and GPL-incompatible restrictions? Does the fact that
the restrictions are non-enforceable (at least in the US) enter
consideration?
Michael
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