Bug#694883: debian-policy: copyright format: please clarify the recommended form for public domain files
Package: debian-policy
Version: 3.9.4.0
Severity: wishlist
Hello.
The machine-readable debian/copyright file format specification
(version 1.0) says that, when a work is in the public domain,
the Copyright field should record this information.
More precisely
http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/
states:
| If a work has no copyright holder (i.e., it is in the public domain),
| that information should be recorded here.
However, it is not too clear (at least to me) which is the
recommended text for recording this information.
I understand that saying:
Files: [specification of which files...]
Copyright: none
License: public-domain
[explanation of why the files are in the public domain...]
would be a good way to document that the files under consideration
are not subject to copyright.
Could this be recommended more explicitly in a future update of
the machine-readable debian/copyright file format specification?
For more details, please review the following debian-legal messages:
https://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2012/12/msg00000.html
https://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2012/12/msg00001.html
https://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2012/12/msg00002.html
Thanks for your time!
Bye.
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