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Re: Project Gutenberg



Followup to: debian-legal@lists.debian.org
Bcc: bob@bobhilliard.net
From: hilliard@debian.org (Robert D. Hilliard)
Date: 02 Sep 2000 11:00:12 -0400
In-Reply-To: viral@seul.org's message of Sat, 2 Sep 2000 14:32:08 +0530
Message-ID: <87pummet4z.fsf@bobspc.bobhilliard.net>
Lines: 55
X-Mailer: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34

viral@seul.org writes:

> Hello,
> 
> I was wondering that the work done by Project Gutenberg
> (http://sailor.gutenberg.org) should be made available through debian.
> 
> It would be great to use 'apt' to get all the great work done there.
> 
> It shouldn't be difficult at all to package. I don't know if this has been
> discussed earlier (sorry, I didn't check the archives) but I'd like to know
> of what other people think about it.

     Not all Project Gutenberg documents are DFSG free.  They use a
file called `SMALL PRINT' as a license document.  There are currently
several versions of `SMALL PRINT' in their archive.  Ver.04.29.93,  and
Ver.03.08.92 require a royalty for commercial distribution.  I believe
I have seen versions that do not restrict commercial distribution, but
I can't locate an example at the moment.

     Most, if not all versions of `SMALL PRINT' include the following:

This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext, like most PROJECT GUTENBERG-
tm etexts, is a "public domain" work distributed by Professor
Michael S. Hart through the Project Gutenberg Association at
Carnegie-Mellon University (the "Project").  Among other
things, this means that no one owns a United States copyright
on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and
distribute it in the United States without permission and
without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules, set forth
below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute this etext
under the Project's "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark.

     .         .         .         .         .

DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm"
You may distribute copies of this etext electronically, or by
disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this
"Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg,
or:
(Followed by license conditions,including the royalty requirement.)


     It appears that if the `SMALL PRINT' is deleted, the remainder of
the document is DFSG free.  However, there would be no copyright
notice or license attached to that copy.  I am not sure if it could be
distributed in Debian without a copyright notice or license.  I have
copied this to debian-legal for an opinion on this.

Bob
-- 
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  |_)  _  |_       Robert D. Hilliard      <hilliard@debian.org>
  |_) (_) |_)      1294 S.W. Seagull Way   <bob@bobhilliard.net>
                   Palm City, FL  USA       PGP Key ID: A8E40EB9


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