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Re: Bug#431883: dcraw license does not give permission to distribute modified versions or source alongside



On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 03:45:29 -0700 Don Armstrong wrote:

> On Fri, 06 Jul 2007, Steve King wrote:
> > > You'll notice that we have no permission to distribute modified
> > > versions of dcraw.c as required by the DFSG.
> > 
> > I don't agree with you here. It seems to me that we do have
> > permission to distribute modified versions, provided source is
> > included.
> 
> The license does not explicitely grant the ability to create a
> derivative work and distribute that work. It merely talks about
> "lawfully redistributing this code".
> 
> Since it fails to specifically grant that right, we must assume that
> the default state ("All rights reserved") applies.

For the record, I agree with Don's analysis.

> 
> > > Secondly, it appears that we must include full source code if
> > > we've modified dcraw.c, but we don't do that. We distribute source
> > > alongside.
> > 
> > All that is required in this license is a link to David's home page.
> > The build process does not modify the file dcraw.c, so the footnote
> > clause is applicable to this version of dcraw that would be included
> > in debian.
> 
> dcraw.c itself isn't currently modfied, but the package does form a
> derivative work at some level. You can likely argue either way, but
> given that a need to apply a security patch to dcraw would cause us to
> run afoul of the license makes it rather problematic from where I'm
> sitting.

Again, I agree with Don.


Disclaimers: IANAL, TINLA, IANADD, TINASOTODP.



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