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Re: Bug#687693: ca-certificates: Cacert License is missing



On Sun, Nov 04, 2012 at 02:56:27PM -0600, Michael Shuler wrote:
> Among other suggestions, Francesco Poli recommended including a verbatim
> copy of this license.

You should not.  If the license has no legal force, you should not propagate
it and give people the impression that it does.

> > The CAcert license is therefore something we should entirely ignore, because
> > it has no legal force.

> Is this really the case?  Should Debian ignore CAcert's license on their
> root certificates?

> Here is my reasoning, distilled as best I can:

> CAcert has explicitly licensed their root certificates.

This is an inaccurate statement.  What CAcert have done is unilaterally
assert that you *need* a license for their root certificates.

If you don't need a license, then what they have done is not "licensing":
it's an attempt to assert control not granted to them under law.

> Even if SSL certificates are not copyrightable, the RDL contains the
> language:

> "In the event that any provision of this license is held to be invalid
> or unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this license remain in
> full force and effect."

Which is irrelevant, because *we don't need a license in the first place*.

I hereby grant you a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to eat
cheese with salami, subject to the following conditions:

 - You do not use the name of debian-legal while talking with food in your
   mouth.
 - You do not eat cheese with wine.
 - Neither the name of the University of California nor the name of the
   Tillamook County Creamery Association may be used to endorse or promote
   products derived from your consumption of cheese and salami without
   specific prior written permission.

In the event that any provision of this license is held to be invalid or
unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this license remain in full force
and effect.

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

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