Re: OpusTeX copyright and distribution policy

[bruce@pixar.com (Bruce Perens)]

> From: Anthony Fok <foka@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca>

Gee, I'm afraid this is a sloppy license.
First of all, they state in the first line that one of the authors doesn't
agree with the license. Ugh. Who knows what legal complications that could
introduce. They should cut that out right away.

Then they say you can't sell it except for maint., support, and duplication
costs, when most CD manufacturers also have _profit_ in the equation. Not
a lot of profit, and certainly not profit solely from MisiXTeX, but these
people want to make a buck from being in the CD business.

I'd say it goes in non-free. I think you should encourage the authors to
use the Artistic license, as that seems closest to their intent.

	Thanks

	Bruce


> Copyright:  (from musixdoc.dvi, MusiXTeX User Manual, p.2)
> ~~~~~~~~~
>   Although one of the authors contested that point once the common work had
>   begun, MusiXTeX may be freely copied, duplicated and used.  However, since
>   it is intended to be a _freeware_ you are not allowed to sell it, and the
>   fee you may ask for distributing it must be limited to maintenance,
>   support and duplication costs. You may take parts of it to include in
>   other packages, but no packages called MusiXTeX may be distributed under
>   this name if different from the original distribution (except obvious bug
>   corrections or text font adaptations for specific implementations).
> 
>   MusiXTeX may be included in further commercial packages, provided that no
>   fee is charged for MusiXTeX itself.
-- 
Bruce Perens K6BP   bruce@pixar.com   510-215-3502
Finger bruce@master.debian.org for PGP public key.
PGP fingerprint = 88 6A 15 D0 65 D4 A3 A6  1F 89 6A 76 95 24 87 B3 


--
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to
debian-devel-request@lists.debian.org . 
Trouble?  e-mail to templin@bucknell.edu .