Package emacs-chess-pieces license problem?

[Ulrich Mueller <ulm@gentoo.org>]

Hi,

package emacs-chess-pieces is labelled as being under the GNU GPL.
However, the xpm bitmap files in subdirectory pieces/ziics contain
the following comment:

    NOTICE: The piece images distributed with ZIICS are
        copyrighted works of their original creators.  Images
        converted with zic2xpm may not be redistributed without
        the permission of the copyright holders.  Do not contact
        the authors of zic2xpm or of ZIICS itself to request
        permission.

ZIICS is a MS-DOS chess program. In a version of 1996 I found a file
ZIICS.DOC containing the notice:

  ZIICS 1.31 is freeware; if you don't make a payment I still want
  you to use this program. I suggest a payment of $25 US (be sure to
  include your chess server user name).

  Andy McFarland
  [Address of author]

But as the first notice says (and the directory names like "FRITZ4"
also suggest), the ZIICS author may not be the copyright holder of the
images.

Besides of pieces/ziics, there are the following subdirectories in
emacs-chess-pieces:

  - pieces/xboard (probably fine, as xboard is under the GPL-2,
    see README.bitmaps and README.pixmaps in the xboard-4.2.7 tarball)
  - pieces/{small,large,ornate} (containing no copyright notice)

Or is all this not a problem, because these are simple images that
don't reach the threshold of originality?

Ulrich