Re: Any script to populate debian/copyright file ?

[Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au>]

Aliaksei Sheshka <sheshkaoss@gmail.com> writes:

> 1) should a  package 'inherit' license from the original COPYING file if
> not stated otherwise ?

I don't know how to understand that sentence.

If you are asking whether the mere presence of a ‘COPYING’ file, but no
explicit license grant, applies to files in the package: the answer is
no, the mere presence of a license text does not imply any grant of
license.

The grant needs to be explicit, written, specifying exactly what work is
being licensed, in a statement from the copyright holder. Ideally of the
form:

    This is <NAME OF WORK>, consisting of <SPECIFIC FILES>. You may <DO
    THESE SPECIFIC THINGS> with this work under the terms <FULL LICENSE
    TERMS OR UNAMBIGUOUS REFERENCE TO FULL LICENSE TERMS>.

> 2) Which license do have auto generated files, like 'configure',
> 'Makefile', *am', etc ?

If there is no human creativity in the generation of the files, then my
understanding of international copyright law is that such files are not
subject to copyright and hence they are merely an automatic non-creative
transformation from the source form of the work; they would be under
whatever license the source document is under.

You should consult your lawyer though. (You can also consult the
‘debian-legal’ forum, who may also advise you to consult your lawyer.)

> 3) What to do if a file have authors, licence, but a copyright year ?

I don't know how to understand that sentence; I guess you men “but …
does not have a copyright year”.

If so, you need to gather that information yourself; contacting the
copyright holders directly to answer your questions would be one way.

-- 
 \       “The future always arrives too fast, and in the wrong order.” |
  `\                                                    —Alvin Toffler |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney