On 05-Apr-2006, Cedric BRINER wrote:
> I have re-launched the author of pcfitsio and he finally give me
> some news : ) and he replies me two emails:
>
> 1)-----------------------
> pCFITSIO is really completely fee, no guaranteed etc... I did not
> have the same to add the copyright notice in the code or anything. I
> will try to do this soon.
>
> Cheers,
> Nor
>
> 2)-----------------------
> Try version 0.99.3. in http://panoramix.stsci.edu/~npirzkal/python/
> pcfitsio/downloads/
> Copyright was inserted in the source files.
Remember that you need two things for each file:
- The copyright status of the file: who holds copyright, and in what
years. Without this, you can't know who hold copyright and when it
begins.
- The license of the file: an explicit statement from the copyright
holder saying what the recipient may do with the file. Without
this, the default is you have no permission from the author to do
anything with the file.
Preferably these two things should be in each file, at the top. The
copyright statement is essential; the license can be either spelled
out in full, or can be a statement to "see this other license file
distributed along with this file", so long as it *is* accompanied by a
complete text of license terms.
Here's what I see with the files I extracted from
<URL:http://panoramix.stsci.edu/~npirzkal/python/pcfitsio/downloads/pCFITSIO-0.99.3.tar.gz>
* README
Copyright statement: yes.
License statement: no, just a disclaimer of warranty.
We have no license to this file.
* Setup
* pcfitsio.h
* pcfitsio.html
Copyright statement: no.
License statement: no.
We have no license to these files.
* longnam.h
* pcfitsio.c
* pcfitsio.i
* type.i
* fitsio.py
* setup.py
Copyright statement: yes.
License statement: no.
We have no license to these files.
* config.c:
Copyright statement: yes, several; last from BeOpen.
License statement: Says "All rights reserved."
Confusing, but legally null provided an express license is
granted.
Refers to a nonexistent file (in a nonexistent directory):
"See the file "Misc/COPYRIGHT" for information on usage and
redistribution of this file, and for a DISCLAIMER OF ALL WARRANTIES."
We have no license to this file.
* pcfitsio_wrap.c:
Copyright statement: yes, one from Nor Pirzkal, one from
"The University of Utah and The Regents of the University of California."
License statement: none from Nor Pirzkal.
It's not clear we have license to the parts which are copyright to
Nor Pirzkal.
* setup.cfg:
Copyright statement: no.
License statement: no.
This may be too unexpressive to copyright; dubious.
* fitsio.h:
Copyright statement: one without years; should be clarified if the
author can be contacted.
License statement: an Expat-style license, though it confusingly
also says "All rights reserved" in the copyright notice.
Provided the copyright years are confirmed with the actual
copyright holder, we have a license to this file.
> So please, could one of you (my mentors), donwload this package and
> tell me what I shall put in the debian/copyright file:
You need to confirm the copyright status of the entire work, and each
file (including the doubtful ones above). You need to confirm what
license applies to the entire work, and to each file with a different
license.
You need to put all that in the debian/copyright file.
Is this a lot of boring, fiddly work, that most software authors don't
care about? Yes.
There's nothing forcing the copyright holder to provide any of this
information. Copyright reserves all rights to the author
automatically, with no notice required.
The onus is on the recipient (you and Debian, in this case) to know
the copyright status and license granted, or risk breaching copyright
law. Without that understanding, in writing, usually no license can
be assumed.
Is this a sick, stupid state of affairs for copyright? Yes.
Is this necessary? Very much yes. Without a clear idea who holds
copyright and when, and what license Debian has to the work, we can't
distribute legally at all.
--
\ "It ain't so much the things we don't know that get us in |
`\ trouble. It's the things we know that ain't so." -- Artemus |
_o__) Ward (1834-67), U.S. journalist |
Ben Finney <ben@benfinney.id.au>
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