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Re: [sdcc-devel] Licensing and building from real source



On Wed, Jul 11, 2007 at 01:53:58PM +0200, Michael Below wrote:

> Am Mi 11 Jul 2007 13:07:03 CEST
> schrieb Bas Wijnen <wijnen@debian.org>:

> > >           The  ASxxxx  assemblers  and the ASLINK relocating linker
> > > are placed in the Public Domain.   Publication  or  distribution  of
> > >        these programs for non-commercial use is hereby granted with
> > > the stipulation that the  copyright  notice  be  included  with  all
> > >        copies.

> > Strictly speaking, the above does put the work in the Public Domain.
> > If the statement legally is valid even if the intention is unclear,
> > the stated restrictions are meaningless.  I'd especially like input
> > from debian-legal about this: With this statement, is the software
> > indeed placed in the Public Domain?

> I don't think so. Public Domain is an expression that is used by
> different people intending different meanings, and the
> license author explains what he wants it to be in the following
> sentences: Noncommercial use with attribution. At least from a german
> law point of view, it doesn't matter if the correct terms are used, as
> long as the will can be deduced with reasonable clarity.

To my understanding, the above doesn't put the work in the Public Domain
because German law doesn't recognize the author's ability to *put* works in
the Public Domain.

It's still a contradiction though, as Bas says, and it would be ideal to
have this ambiguity cleared up.

-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
vorlon@debian.org                                   http://www.debian.org/



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