Re: RFS: readpst - Converts Outlook PST files to mbox and others
On Wed, 16 Apr 2003, Joe Nahmias wrote:
> I posted a "clarification" from upstream about this to the BTS -- see
> the ITP (bug #178113) <http://bugs.debian.org/178113>. It doesn't seem
> (to me) that there is any _real_ legal issues -- perhaps mailing -legal
> is the right thing to do...
Fear is as much a weapon as legal action itself. Apart from the following,
I don't think there's likely to be a real problem:
* The program itself isn't licenced in a DFSG-correct manner (nope);
* Parts of the source code for the program may be classified as "derivative
works" of some non-GPL-compatible work. Has the author ever worked
on non-GPL'd PST reading software? If not, and he hasn't taken work
from somewhere else and incorporated it into his program, I can't
imagine a problem here.
* Microsoft or some other stakeholder in the .PST format are likely to make
a challenge. If so, they'd have their work cut out for them.
Reverse-engineering a file format is a long and glorious tradition.
If they're trying to DMCA the program out of existence (by claiming
circumvention of the "encryption" you can put on mailboxes) then
we'd have to look at that, but I can't see it would be a threat
without something more concrete.
Perhaps a truly private, off-the-record e-mail (not in the BTS) to upstream,
asking him to please solidify the issue. Punting it to -legal might be
worth a shot, in case someone over there has heard something general which
might have a bearing on the matter.
> Of course, if it turns out that the problem is sourceforge itself, we
> could host the project on alioth, no?
I believe so. At any rate, there are a million and one places to host
projects other than sourceforge. I'm having trouble imagining how the
problem would be with them, though (unless there's pressure on them from
elsewhere).
- Matt
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