question about leaving lzw and unknown-license code in source
Hi,
I am using xmedcon (http://xmedcon.sourceforge.net/) and did my first debian
package with that. This package should be sponsored to become official soon.
The package is generally gpl but has to parts with problems in it.
1) Code to create gif-files (with lzw compression). This is part of the code
and not linked to giflib/libungif
2) Code that was given the author by siemens with no explicit license.
I originally planned on compiling the package without support for those
formats but I didn't plan on modifying the original code more than necessary
(one can drop the formats as a ./configure option). I wanted to document that
in README.Debian so people can compile their own enabling those formats.
Now I stumbled over the Weekly News:
>Leaving the LZW Algorithm in Source Files? Chris Halls [30]asked if he
>may leave a source file that implements a patented algorithm (LZW
>compression for GIFs) in the source tarball for OpenOffice.org. The
>file is not built or distributed in the binary packages, though.
>Walter Landry [31]claims that you are not allowed to distribute an
>implementation of a patent and Branden Robinson [32]added that Debian
>should not be shipping anything in "main" that isn't DFSG-free.
Is there any way for xmedcon to become official without taking those parts
mentioned above out of the source code (which neither the upstream author nor
me would find very attractive).
Thanks for any help,
Roland
PS:xPost do debian-med since the package should become part of it. I have
subscibed to debian-med but not to debian-legal, so please CC to me.
--
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Roland Marcus Rutschmann <Rutschmann@gmx.net>
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