The source package orbit2_2.14.17.orig.tar.gz shipped by Debian contains the following files that concern me: src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_Request.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/pseudo_orb.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_ORB_init.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_ORB.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_Interceptor.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_ServerRequest.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_ValueBase.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_Context.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_NVList.idl src/idl/CORBA_PIDL/CORBA_Object.idl src/idl/interop/BiDirPolicy.idl src/idl/interop/IOP_DCE.idl src/idl/interop/conv_frame.idl src/idl/interop/IIOP.idl src/idl/interop/orbit-specific.idl src/idl/interop/GSSUP.idl src/idl/interop/IOP.idl src/idl/interop/GIOP.idl src/idl/interop/CSIIOP.idl src/idl/interop/SendingContext.idl src/idl/interop/CSI.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_Pollable.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_Policy.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_TypeCode.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_Stream.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_StandardExceptions.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_DomainManager.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_CustomMarshal.idl src/idl/CORBA/orb.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_InterfaceRepository.idl src/idl/CORBA/CORBA_Current.idl src/idl/misc/PortableServer.idl src/idl/misc/DynamicAny.idl The debian/copyright file in the package does not explicitly state a license for those files but implies that the license is the GPL. The package is in main. However, these files appear to be part of the Common Object Request Broker Architecture Specification, version 3.1, as published by the Object Management Group. Indeed the first page of this specification reads: OMG Document Number: formal/2008-01-04 Standard document URL: http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/3.1/Interfaces/PDF Associated IDL Files*: http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/ http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_Context.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_Current.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_CustomMarshal.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_DomainManager.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_InterfaceRepository.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_NVList.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_Object.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_ORB.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_Policy.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_Pollable.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_Request.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_ServerRequest.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_StandardExceptions.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_Stream.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_TypeCode.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CORBA_Valuebase.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/BiDirPpolicy.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CONV_FRAME.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CSI.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/CSIIOP.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/Dynamic.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/DynamicAny.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/FT.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/GIOP.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/GSSUP.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/IIOP.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/IOP.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/IOP_DCE.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/Messaging.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/MessageRouting.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/orb.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/PortableInterceptor.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/PortableServer.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/pseudo_orb.idl http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/20030101/Sending_Context.idl The same document contains section B.3 License which reads, page 509: > The companies listed above have granted to the Object Management > Group, Inc. (OMG) a nonexclusive, royalty-free, paid up, worldwide > license to copy and distribute this document and to modify this > document and distribute copies of the modified version. Each of the > copyright holders listed above has agreed that no person shall be > deemed to have infringed the copyright in the included material of any > such copyright holder by reason of having used the specification set > forth herein or having conformed any computer software to the > specification. > > Subject to all of the terms and conditions below, the owners of the > copyright in this specification hereby grant you a fully-paid up, > non-exclusive, nontransferable, perpetual, worldwide license (without > the right to sublicense), to use this specification to create and > distribute software and special purpose specifications that are based > upon this specification, and to use, copy, and distribute this > specification as provided under the Copyright Act; provided that: (1) > both the copyright notice identified above and this permission notice > appear on any copies of this specification; (2) the use of the > specifications is for informational purposes and will not be copied or > posted on any network computer or broadcast in any media and will not > be otherwise resold or transferred for commercial purposes; and (3) no > modifications are made to this specification. This limited permission > automatically terminates without notice if you breach any of these > terms or conditions. Upon termination, you will destroy immediately > any copies of the specifications in your possession or control. Clearly the license is non-free. Does this license apply to the "Associated IDL Files"? I think the answer is yes, which makes the files non-free. The reason is because the CORBA IDL FAQ[1] explains how the files were derived directly from the specification document, to the extent of splitting some specifications in several files, one per chapter in the text. [1] http://www.omg.org/spec/CORBA/3.1/20030101/CORBA_IDL_FAQ.html The reason I am asking, besides the package orbit2, is because I have another CORBA broker named PolyORB in the new queue; it also contains some of these .idl files and I am not entirely sure this is legal. I'm attaching the unified diff from the CORBA 3.1 associated files to the files contained orbit2. This diff is very small, suggesting that either the files in orbit2 are modified copies of the CORBA 3.1 associated files, or that the orbit2 files were derived (i.e. are a derived work of) the CORBA 3.1 specification. Please advise? (I Cc'd the actual package maintainers of PolyORB whom I sponsor.) -- Ludovic Brenta.
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