Bug#65577: [Amended] copyright should include notice if a package is not a part of Debian distribution

[Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>]

Taketoshi Sano <kgh12351@nifty.ne.jp> writes:

>  === the proposed patch on sgml for this modification ===
>
> --- policy.sgml.orig	Tue Jun 13 10:00:17 2000
> +++ policy.sgml.proposed	Tue Jun 13 10:05:22 2000
> @@ -189,6 +189,12 @@
>  	provide infrastructure for them (such as our bug-tracking
>  	system and mailing lists). This Debian Policy Manual applies
>  	to these packages as well.</p>
> +      <p>
> +        In order to avoid to be misconstrued, All the packages in
> +        the other sections than <em>main</em> should have notice
> +        in <tt>/usr/share/doc/<var>package</var>/copyright</tt>
> +        and should explain the specific reason why the package does
> +        not form the <em>Debian GNU/Linux distribution</em>. </p>
>  
>        <sect id="pkgcopyright">
>  	<heading>Package copyright and sections</heading>

I want to revisit this proposal since it had proposed wording and several
seconds at the time it was originally developed, but we never acted on it.
I still think this is a fundamentally good idea.

Below is a revised patch that puts the text into section 12.5 instead of
here and simplifies the language a little.  I think the major open
question is how to handle the fact that it makes contrib and non-free
packages instabuggy; this is a real chicken and egg sort of thing.  I can
see a few options:

* Live with the instabuggy problem at the should level.

* Say that packages may include this information (entirely optional),
  possibly with a footnote that says this may be upgraded in the future.
  This is somewhat unsatisfying since it doesn't say anything that isn't
  already true -- people already can put this in copyright -- but it
  avoids the problem of making existing packages buggy while still
  providing some documentation somewhere that this is a good idea.

* Punt to the Debian Developer's Reference and suggest it be put it there
  first, and only revisit Policy if in the future it seems useful to put
  it here.

Preferences?  Comments?  And if you agree with the first option, seconds?

--- orig/policy.sgml
+++ mod/policy.sgml
@@ -8675,7 +8675,14 @@
 	  In addition, the copyright file must say where the upstream
 	  sources (if any) were obtained.  It should name the original
 	  authors of the package and the Debian maintainer(s) who were
-	  involved with its creation.</p>
+	  involved with its creation.
+	</p>
+
+        <p>
+          Packages in the <em>contrib</em> or <em>non-free</em> categories
+          should state in the copyright file that the package is not part
+          of the Debian GNU/Linux distribution and briefly explain why.
+        </p>
 
 	<p>
 	  A copy of the file which will be installed in

-- 
Russ Allbery (rra@stanford.edu)             <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>