[SCM] Debian package checker branch, master, updated. 2.5.4-166-g241c566

["Russ Allbery" <rra@debian.org>]

The following commit has been merged in the master branch:
commit 241c5664605045cc387d04cf60356a92a3ddf51c
Author: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Date:   Sun Feb 12 12:47:56 2012 -0800

    Clarify the legal status of copyright notices in long tag desc
    
    * checks/copyright.desc:
      + [RA] Rephrase copyright-with-old-dh-make-debian-copyright long
        description to be clearer about the legal status of copyright
        notices.  (Closes: #659574)

diff --git a/checks/copyright-file.desc b/checks/copyright-file.desc
index 3af3823..921ad04 100644
--- a/checks/copyright-file.desc
+++ b/checks/copyright-file.desc
@@ -264,9 +264,15 @@ Severity: wishlist
 Certainty: certain
 Info: The copyright file contains the incomplete Debian packaging
  copyright boilerplate from older versions of <tt>dh_make</tt>.
- <tt>(C)</tt> is not considered as a valid way to express the copyright
- ownership.  The word <tt>Copyright</tt> or the © symbol should be used
- instead or in addition to <tt>(C)</tt>.
+ <tt>(C)</tt> alone is not considered a valid copyright notice in at least
+ some countries.  The word <tt>Copyright</tt> or the © symbol should be
+ used instead or in addition to <tt>(C)</tt>.
+ .
+ Copyright notices like this are, in any country that's a signatory to the
+ Berne Convention, not required to claim copyright on a work, but their
+ presence may allow claiming additional damages should a copyright case go
+ to court.  If you provide a notice, you may as well provide one that's
+ legally valid.
 
 Tag: copyright-refers-to-bad-php-license
 Severity: serious
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index e9ed224..1cfac2e 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -44,6 +44,10 @@ lintian (2.5.5) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     + [NT] Accepted patch from Gergely Nagy to catch dh-make vcs
       templates in comments.  Thanks to Paul Wise for suggesting this
       check.  (Closes: #657110)
+  * checks/copyright.desc:
+    + [RA] Rephrase copyright-with-old-dh-make-debian-copyright long
+      description to be clearer about the legal status of copyright
+      notices.  (Closes: #659574)
   * checks/cruft{,.desc}:
     + [NT] Added dh-autoreconf as a build-depends alternative to
       libtool for suppressing ancient-libtool warning.  Thanks to

-- 
Debian package checker