Re: Licensing pictures within an application
"Christian Jodar" <tian@c-sait.net> wrote:
> I am in charge of a project that have been included in Debian unstable,
> GCfilms. [...]
A GTK2 application for managing dvd and video collections.
> We recently made a logo contest for this application. Winners have been
> designated. But their works are under a Creative Commons BY-SA license.
> According to this page:
> http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/index_html#OtherLicenses
> It is a free and copylefted license. But I found in this list archives that it
> is not acceptable for Debian.
The FSF only calls it a "free licence" and not a free software
licence. It's not very clear what they mean by a "free licence"
because it doesn't offer the four freedoms to use, adapt,
distribute and share modifications with your neighbours, nor
does it meet debian's free software guidelines.
> So my first question is: Is this still the case?
Yes. I think version 2.5 still restricts the media that the work
can be distributed on, amongst other things.
> Second one is: Is it possible to package together a GPL application (current
> license for GCfilms) with CC pictures? Or does the software license needs to
> be changed (and to which one? LGPL?)?
You can package them together, but if the pictures are compiled into
the application (like xpms perhaps), then the combined work cannot
be distributed under the GPL alone.
> If CC is not acceptable, are there license for art works that could be used in
> Debian? I (and logo creators also) don't think that GPL is suitable. It has
> been made for programs.
You (and the logo creators) should read the GPL's careful definition
of Programs which allows it to cover art works too. It also mentions
that on the fsf page you cited.
Nevertheless, if you don't want to use the GPL, other free software
licences such as MIT/X11 can cover art works and I am hopeful that
CC 3.0 will include some free software licences.
> The situation for me is simple. I have a free application. I have some free
> pictures (with only one constraints, creators want to keep kind of a paternity
> for the pictures as guaranteed by the BY clause of CC). [...]
Even MIT/X11 requires that copyright holders are credited. Do you
want more than that?
> Maybe the solution is to have a trademark for logos?
That would not necessarily require creators to be credited. It would
depend how it was licensed.
I hope that explains it. What do you plan to do next?
--
MJR/slef
My Opinion Only: see http://people.debian.org/~mjr/
Please follow http://www.uk.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct
Reply to: