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Re: Any script to populate debian/copyright file ?



Aliaksei Sheshka <sheshkaoss@gmail.com> writes:

> On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 7:01 AM, Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au>wrote:
> > 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>.
>
> Does that count:
> "Several parties hold copyright to various parts of IRRToolSet.  One or more
> of the following licenses may apply to the code contained within this
> distribution." , or too unclear ?

It depends on who wrote it.

If the copyright holders did not make that statement, it's worthless for
the purpose of having a grant of license.

“May apply” is of no help in knowing that one has a license, so isn't
sufficient, IMO.

The only statement which counts for this purpose, IMO, is an explicit
written grant of license from the copyright holders of whatever part of
the work is specified.

If there are different license grants for different parts of the work,
you need each grant to explicitly specify which parts the grant applies
to. If you don't have that, my understanding is that you don't have an
effective grant of license to the relevant parts.

This may involve tedious work on your part in communicating with the
copyright holders, to clarify which parts they grant what license to
recipients. You need to keep careful track, to be sure that you don't
distribute any part of the work without license grant from the copyright
holders of that part.

-- 
 \                                                己所不欲、勿施于人。 |
  `\                (What is undesirable to you, do not do to others.) |
_o__)                            —孔夫子 Confucius (551 BCE – 479 BCE) |
Ben Finney


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