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Re: EULA with GPL??



Anthony DeRobertis <asd@suespammers.org>:

> >As for relevance to Debian, can one assume that the GPL absolutely 
> >guarantees
> >DFSG free? (As I'm pretty sure the DFSG *does* guarantee me this 
> >right).
> 
> No. Patents can get in your way. We have GPL software (e.g., 
> gimp-nonfree, due to Unisys patents [expiring mid next year!] on LZW as 
> used in GIF) in non-free.

This may be what has happened in this case, but I don't understand how
it follows from the DFSG. In general, I don't think it makes sense to
call software with a DFSG-free licence non-free just because using it,
or maybe even distributing it, is illegal in certain countries. It's
those countries that should be in "non-free", not the software.

Edmund



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