Re: Enabling and installing of "risky" ("patented") codecs - made easy
On Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:15:42 +0200, Fabian Greffrath wrote:
> Yes, we will need a separate archive for these packages which will be
> hosted outside the US. I am not sure if d-i should offer to add these
> sources (not sure if it's worth another question during installation),
> but the URI could be included in the default sources.list but commented
> out with a disclaimer.
I don't see why users in countries where software is not patentable
should be forced to jump through hoops to get access to multimedia
software. If this repository is not added to the user's sources.list file
by default then there is no advantage in setting up yet another
repository for such software.
I think the Debian project needs to seek legal advice on the subject. We
need to know who actually becomes liable for patent infringement if we
set up a repository in a country where software cannot be patented. I
would guess the answer would be anyone who distributes the software;
therefore it would be up to each mirror to decide whether to mirror this
archive.
If this is the case, and if end users are not liable for downloading
patentable software, then I don't see why d-i can't enable the source by
default.
--
Sam Morris
http://robots.org.uk/
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