Re: no license

[tb@becket.net (Thomas Bushnell, BSG)]

Paolo Ariano <paolo.ariano@unito.it> writes:

> hi everybody
> 
> i'd like to pack a new software (ImageJ) that has no license but the
> author define it:
> /*
>  * ImageJ is open-source. You are free to do anything you want
>  * with this source as long as I get credit for my work and you
>  * offer your changes to me so I can possibly add them to the
>  * "official" version.
>  *
>  * @author Wayne Rasband (wayne@codon.nih.gov)
>  */
> 
> the program is a java .jar, you acn download documentatio and source
> code, is there some problem with debian ? the next problem will java
> (Sun) and their license but this is another problem :(

This is a license, but it's not DFSG-free, because it requires
offering the changes to the author, and that fails the
desert-island-test.

I would suggest asking the person to use a more well-established free
software license.