Debian Project License Survey of teTeX Packages and Documents
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Thomas & CTAN folks,
I've been checking the licenses of about three hundred
documentation files included with Debian's teTeX packages to
verify that we can distribute these files. I found that about
thirty either cannot be distributed at all or are not free. In
many cases, the documentation files did not contain specific
licensing information, and I have assumed that the licensing
information for the entire package or font distribution applies to
the documentation.
I'm letting you know because I know that Thomas cares about only
having free packages in teTeX, and because CTAN's administrators
may want to look at shuffling some of these packages into the
nonfree sections of the archive. Such consequences would also be
useful sticks to wave to encourage the authors to update or
clarify the licensing of their packages.
The following packages have problematic licensing:
algorithms:
Describes algorithm.sty and algorithmic.sty
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/algorithms/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
bbold:
Docs for using blackboard-bold fonts
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/fonts/bbold/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : n/a
Debian Status : nonfree
Copyright Type : H
:
Docs for beton.sty
Version : 1.3
CTAN Location : /tex-archives/macros/latex/contrib/supported/beton/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : C
booktabs:
Docs for booktabs.sty
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/booktabs/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : B
caption:
Docs for caption.sty
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/caption/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : B
caption:
Docs for caption2.sty
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/caption/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : C
doublestroke:
Docs for the Doublestroke fonts
Version : 1.0
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/fonts/doublestroke/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : LPPL
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
euler:
Docs for euler.sty
Version : 2.5
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/euler/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : C
fancybox:
Docs for fancybox.sty
Version : 1.3
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/fancybox/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : nonfree
Copyright Type : A
fltpage:
Docs for fltpage.sty
Version : 0.3
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/fltpage/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : verify
Copyright Type : F
footbib:
Docs for footbib.sty
Version : 2.0
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/footbib/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : B
contrib:
Docs for fvrb-ex.sty
Version : 1.7
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/fancyvrb/contrib/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : -
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
marvosym:
Documentation for marvosym.sty
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/fonts/psfonts/marvosym/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : GPL
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
moreverb:
Docs for moreverb.sty
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/moreverb/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : LPPL
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
mt11p:
Docs for the mt11p package (for MathTime fonts)
Version : 0.4
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/fonts/mt11p/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : nonfree
Copyright Type : G
picinpar:
Docs for picinpar.sty
Version : 1.2a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex209/contrib/picinpar/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
prettyref:
Docs for prettyref.sty
Version : 3.0
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/prettyref/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : B
sueterlin:
Docs for a German handwriting font
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/fonts/gothic/sueterlin/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
treesvr:
Docs for trees.sty
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/supported/treesvr/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
wasy2:
Docs for the wasy (Waldis symbol) fonts
Version : 2.0 September 1992
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/fonts/wasy2/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
Similarly, the following documents are problematic:
LaTeX-FAQ-francaise:
LaTeX FAQ Francaise
Version : March 1998
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/help/LaTeX-FAQ-francaise/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : -
Debian Status : nonfree
Copyright Type : I
README.pst-osci:
README file for pstricks-oscilloscope package
Version : 2.7
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/graphics/pstricks/contrib/pst-osci/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : -
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
BibTeX (btxdoc.dvi):
Docs for BibTeX
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/biblio/bibtex/distribs/doc/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : -
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : C
BibTeX (btxhak.dvi):
Docs for hacking new bibliography styles
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/biblio/bibtex/distribs/doc/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : -
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : C
gothic (corkpaper.dvi):
Paper describing typesetting Old German
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/fonts/gothic/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : unknown
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
essential.dvi:
General introductory document for LaTeX
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : cannot find
CTAN (Catalogue) License : -
Debian Status : nonfree
Copyright Type : D
guide.dvi & guide.ps:
"A LaTeX Survival Guide for Unix Systems"
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : cannot find
CTAN (Catalogue) License : -
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
Omega (omega-manual.dvi & omega-manual.ps):
Draft documentation for Omega
Version : n/a
CTAN Location : /tex-archive/systems/omega/
CTAN (Catalogue) License : GPL
Debian Status : cantdist
Copyright Type : E
Appendices:
Background
==========
A user filed a bug against one of our teTeX packages, claiming
that a particular document was non-free, and shouldn't be included
in the distribution. (See
<http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=131191&repeatmerged=yes>.)
After investigating, I found that the particular document the user
had complained about was in the public domain (albeit without
source), but that there were a number of other documents with
problematic licensing.
Debian Status
=============
There are three possible ``Debian statuses'' for the documents and
packages:
free we can distribute in main (part of Debian)
cantdist we cannot distribute at all
nonfree we can make available through a non-free package
(not part of Debian)
Copyright Types
===============
The ``copyright types'' correspond to example
copyright/distribution terms I posted to the debian-legal list for
evaluation (<http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal-0203/msg00054.html>).
Opinions boiled down to:
Type Status Reason
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A nonfree limitation on financial compensation
B can't distribute copyright notice only
C can't distribute copyright notice plus ``all rights reserved''
D nonfree limitation on financial compensation
E can't distribute no copyright statement or distribution conditions
F okay if verified Maybe GPLed, but doesn't state so explicitly
G nonfree bundling restriction
H nonfree limitation on financial compensation
I nonfree restriction on distribution media
Thanks for your attention.
Claire Connelly
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Man cannot be civilised, or be kept civilised by what he does in his
spare time; only by what he does as his work.
W.R. Lethaby
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C.M. Connelly cmc@debian.org SHC, DS
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