On Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:37:11 +0300 Markus Laire wrote: > I'm concerned about the licensing of cdrkit[1,2] aka debburn, which > was recently forked from cdrecord. I am concerned as well, and I would have started a similar thread just today, if you hadn't done so before me! I actually mentioned this same issue near the end of the log for bug #377109: http://bugs.debian.org/377109 > > The current license seems to be GPLv2 + additional restrictions which > IMHO is not right because GPLv2 doesn't allow any such additional > restrictions. I agree. GPL + extra-restrictions is self-contradictory. It could even end up being considered as an invalid license: since we don't have another license, the package would be undistributable! See the thread starting at http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2006/05/msg00298.html for a discussion on a another case of GPL + extra-restrictions. The reply from RMS is especially worth noting: http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2006/05/msg00303.html > > An example from libscg/scsi-linux-ata.c[3]: [...] > An another example from cdrecord/cdrecord.c[4]: [...] > I mentioned this problem over a week ago[5] at debburn-devel but > didn't get any response. > > Recently Nathanael Nerode mentioned this problem again[6] and Albert > Cahalan answered[7]: [...] > In my opinion there is clearly a concrete problem as there are > restrictions in the source-code which are not allowed by GPLv2. Indeed. > > > So I'd now like to ask what debian-legal thinks about this situation, > and whether the license of cdrkit is OK for Debian-main. IMHO, the license as stated in cdrkit debian/copyright does not make the package suitable for inclusion in main (maybe not even for distribution via the non-free archive, *if* the license is to be considered invalid...). I think that a thorough analysis of the restrictions should be done, in order to clarify the issues to be addressed. The usual disclaimers: IANAL, IANADD. -- But it is also tradition that times *must* and always do change, my friend. -- from _Coming to America_ ..................................................... Francesco Poli . GnuPG key fpr == C979 F34B 27CE 5CD8 DC12 31B5 78F4 279B DD6D FCF4
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