distributing an mp3 encoder...

[dichro-fd6c8263@eris.rcpt.to (Mikolaj J. Habryn)]

  I was advised to repost this to here to get answers to my questions, 
so here goes. The author is planning to place the package under a BSD
license.

m.

--- Begin Message ---

• To: debian-devel@lists.debian.org
• Cc: wnpp@debian.org
• Subject: intent to package [mp3]encoder
• From: dichro-f80c451a@eris.rcpt.to (Mikolaj J. Habryn)
• Date: 14 Dec 1998 11:08:17 +0800
• Message-id: <s2vd85ne7z2.fsf@mermaid.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au>

  After a brief hunt for an mp3 encoder for my alpha, I discovered
this piece of software. It is an optimized version of the IIS
reference mpeg layer 3 encoder, with the optimization work done
principally by Andreas Johansson. It's available from
ftp://wopr.campus.luth.se:/pub/mpeg_layer_3

  There's a number of issues with this. Firstly, the Fraunhoffer
patent. The author is in Sweden, and has not been contacted by
Fraunhoffer; apparently Swedish laws do not allow patenting of the
algorithm. Can we distribute it?

  Secondly, the package is named 'encoder', and produces a single
binary named 'encode'. Does this count as namespace pollution?

  And last, there's no copyright notice in the package. I am in touch
with the author, and don't believe that there will be any particular
issue with correcting this; my question is do we require a copyright
notice to appear in the source distribution (necessitating a new
release), or is it adequate to include, eg, an email granting us
permission to redistribute and modify freely?

  Thanks for your time.

m.

--- End Message ---