Re: firefox -> iceweasel package is probably not legal
On Tuesday 05 December 2006 18:12, Michael Poole wrote:
> Unless the user has specifically changed system configuration files,
> "apt-get install" on a Debian system only installs software from
> Debian. It does not install software from the Mozilla Foundation.
That is a very interesting perspective, and not one I'm sure many Debian users
share. I certainly don't think I'm getting "Debian Apache" or "Debian KDE"
or "Debian Postfix" when I apt-get those packages. Debian is the distributor
(hey, "distribution"), but that I watch Happy Feet at the Santa Cruz Metro
Theater doesn't mean the movie isn't a Warner Brother's movie.
> A trademark holder's rights do not extend to prohibiting anyone else
> from claiming compatibility or similarity to their product. Given the
> simple and obvious type of redirection that happens with a transition
> package, I think this is the proper basis of analysis. Transition
> packages are not "disclaimers" of any sort; they are hints to a person
> or tools acting on that person's behalf.
But this is not a redirection. If, upon running apt-get install firefox, a
dummy package is installed that displayed a text message saying, "Debian does
not ship Firefox due to legal reasons, however we offer a browser based on
the GPLed code base which we call iceweasel. Please consider this as an
alternative"... then that would be fine. But Debian is actually saying, you
want Firefox, sure, we've got that... here ya go (and then sneaks on
iceweasel with symlinks that make it seem like it's firefox).
And what happens if Mozilla starts packaging firefox as deb and making it
available from an apt repository? Now Debian is really pushing Firefox out
of the market and abusing the mark.
-Sean
--
Sean Kellogg
e: skellogg@u.washington.edu
w: http://blog.probonogeek.org/
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