Re: MaintainerDatabase Copyright
Manoj Srivastava wrote:
>
> >>"Fabrizio" == Fabrizio Polacco <fpolacco@icenet.fi> writes:
>
> Fabrizio> You "can't" put a copyright on your name and address. You
> Fabrizio> can't copyright your name under GPL or a restrictive "all
> Fabrizio> rights reserved".
>
> Not being a lawyer, I can't contradict this.
Also I would like to hear the expert. I've spent several hours reading
an incredible amount of docs that found on a link that Susan gave us
(it's in the archives: I can search an url if nobody has it at hand),
and they say clearly that words, names and such things can't be
copyrighted.
> Does this mean that the xearth report can not have a
> copyright/licence at all?
The package surely can, but the copyright doesn't cover names,
addresses, and such, as well as if it is GPLed it's not anyway permitted
to change Manoj to Manohy in your entry.
Putting a more or less restrictive copyright on the package doesn't
change the status of names and addresses.
> Can we get a professional opinion?
I really would like, because I'm not, and I feel not at home to be so
much assertive, but this is what I read there.
>
> Fabrizio> Other people can't modify your name because other laws
> Fabrizio> forbits it, not because of the copyright. Do you think that
> Fabrizio> a GPLed program which contains your name and address, maybe
> Fabrizio> in a credit file, or in a changelog, not in a copyright
> Fabrizio> notice, permits other to change it?
>
> I honestly do not know. (Where does this leave the maintainer
> database then?)
In fact, someone can legally create a database of all our names and of
the informations that can collect from our mail and sites, but even if
he GPL it, the law (a different law on each country) restrict what he
can do with this database.
IMHO, of course :-)
Fabrizio
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