Giovanni Mascellani wrote: > Hi all! Hi > These days I am trying to package md5deep for Debian[1]. Although it is > my first compiled package (the other was in Python), I'm not having any > technical problem. I have just a bunch of question for you about the > license. I don't know if you should write to debian-legal, or you can > help me directly. debian-legal is a better place. > This file is surely GPL and not in the public domain. Isn't illegal to > link GPL object code with other non-GPL object code and don't > distribute it as GPL? In other words, because of only this GPL file, > all the package should be GPL licensed, isn't it? I think, it's a GPL violation. The problem is that you cannot relicense the public domain parts under the GPL, because they can not be copyrighted. > > Last, but not least, whirpool.c and whirpool.h don't have any copyright > notice at all. > > The README says: > This program is a work of the US Government. In accordance with 17 USC > 105, copyright protection is not available for any work of the US > Government. Lawyer to English translation: This program is PUBLIC > DOMAIN. > Not only is this program not copyrighted, but IT CANNOT BE COPYRIGHTED > BY > ANYBODY AT ANY TIME UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. > > In Debianizinig this program, I own a piece of copyright on the final > work. Isn't this in contrast with the "Lawyer to English" clause? You can make your debian packaging public domain. > > Sorry for writing this long and meticulous email, but this is my second > package and I'm not expert yet. I wouldn't do anything illegal! Can you > answer me, or should I write to debian-legal? You should better write to debian-legal. -- Julian Andres Klode IRC Nickname: juliank (Debian/OFTC + Freenode, GimpNet) Fellow of FSFE: https://www.fsfe.org/en/fellows/jak (No. 1049) Debian Wiki: http://wiki.debian.org/JulianAndresKlode Ubuntu Wiki: http://wiki.ubuntu.com/JulianAndresKlode In Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/~juliank My packages: http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=jak@jak-linux.org Languages: German, English, [bit French]
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