Re: Question about patent notice in copyright header of package exempi

[Don Armstrong <don@debian.org>]

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007, Michael Biebl wrote:
> Which contain a copyright header like this:
> 
> // ====================================================================
> // Copyright 2002-2005 Adobe Systems Incorporated
> // All Rights Reserved.
> //
> // NOTICE:  Adobe permits you to use, modify, and distribute this file
> // in accordance with the terms
> // of the Adobe license agreement accompanying it.
           ^-- where's the Adobe License agreement?

> // Adobe patent application tracking #P435, entitled 'Unique markers to
> // simplify embedding data of
> // one format in a file with a different format', inventors: Sean
> // Parent, Greg Gilley.
> // =====================================================================
>  
> The interesting part is the second half of the header about the patent
> application. I was wondering if this poses any problems (in the future)
> for Debian to distribute this software. TBH I don't really understand
> how to interpret this sentence.

Really depends on what the license agreement says; if we're lucky, it
allows us to use it and makes the patent not particularly usefull.


Don Armstrong

-- 
An elephant: A mouse built to government specifications.
 -- Robert Heinlein _Time Enough For Love_ p244

http://www.donarmstrong.com              http://rzlab.ucr.edu