Re: New package problems
>>>>> "John" == John Travers <travs@netscape.net> writes:
John> I am porting it to gtk/gnome and gpl-ing it. Shoud i do this
John> before i first release it to make it legal, or should i just
John> write a note with it describing the circumstances and then gpl
John> it. It seems to me that it was meant to be released that
John> way... if there is no copyright or restrictions, then the
John> authors don't seem to be after money! (Of course I would
John> acknowledge them)
Let's try to clarify the situation: by default you have *ZERO* right
to use or distribute a product since by default only the person who
wrote it has any right.
Some people will have you sign a contract that grants you some rights
and imposing some restrictions (this is legal since you signed it).
Some other people let you use the program via a permissive licence
provided you agree with the licence terms. You are not forced to agree
with a licence that you have not signed (as the GPL), but in this
case, since you refuse the licence, you fall into the default case
where you have no right at all. This is how the GPL works.
To make it short: either get permissions from the author or forget
about the package...
Sam
--
Samuel Tardieu -- sam@debian.org
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