Re: Bug#220358: ITP: mecab-ipadic -- IPA dictionary compiled for Mecab

[Tim Dijkstra <tim@famdijkstra.org>]

On 14 Nov 2003 13:18:02 +0100
Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net> wrote:

> Scripsit Tim Dijkstra <newsuser@famdijkstra.org>
> > TSUCHIYA Masatoshi <tsuchiya@namazu.org> wrote:
> 
> > >     Each User may also freely distribute the Program, whether in
> > >     its original form or modified, to any third party or parties,
> > >     PROVIDED that the provisions of Section 3 ("NO WARRANTY") will
> > >     ALWAYS appear on, or be attached to, the Program, which is
> > >     distributed substantially in the same form as set out herein
> > >     and that such intended distribution, if actually made, will
> > >     neither violate or otherwise contravene any of the laws and
> > >     regulations of the countries having jurisdiction over the User
> > >     or the intended distribution itself.
> 
> > First, IANAL and not a native speaker nor a regular debian-legal
> > reader, but I can't see what is exactly nonfree in this piece of
> > licence. In my reading it just says,
> 
> Apart from the "you must follow the law" clause, it also only allows
> derivates that are "distributed substantially in the same form as set
> out herein".  That is a restriction on modification, which fails the
> DFSG.

Which indeed seems a restriction, but a little vague one, especially as
the first two lines read: 'Each User may also freely distribute the
Program, whether in its original form or modified, to any third party or
parties'.

But I think I agree now that the 'follow the law' stuff is a
freedom-killer in it self.

grts Tim