Re: pdb files license
On Mon, Oct 3, 2011 at 10:51 PM, Don Armstrong <don@debian.org> wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Sep 2011, Picca Frédéric-Emmanuel wrote:
>> is it possible for Debian to distribut that kind of files ?
>
> Generally speaking, PDB files are not a work of authorship, therefore
> they do not qualify for copyright protection in at least the US, and
> as such can be freely distributed.
Ok, based on the information on the PDB site
(here http://www.pdb.org/pdb/static.do?p=general_information/about_pdb/policies_references.html
and here ftp://ftp.wwpdb.org/pub/pdb/advisory.txt )
I added this DEP5 copyright snippet to Rasmol:
Files: data/*.pdb* data/*.ent* data/*.CIF
Copyright: Data files contained in the PDB archive (ftp://ftp.wwpdb.org) are
free of all copyright restrictions and made fully and freely available for
both non-commercial and commercial use. Users of the data should attribute
the original authors of that structural data. By using the materials
available in the PDB archive, the user agrees to abide by the conditions
described in the PDB Advisory Notice.
License:
ADVISORY NOTICE FOR USE OF THE PDB ARCHIVE
.
By using the materials available in this archive, the user agrees to abide
by the following conditions:
.
* The archival data files in the PDB archive are made freely available
to all users. Data files within the archive may be redistributed in original
form without restriction. Redistribution of modified data files using the same
file name as is on the FTP server is prohibited. The rules for file names are
detailed at http://www.wwpdb.org/wwpdb_charter.html.
.
* Data files containing PDB content may incorporate the PDB 4-letter entry
name (e.g. 1ABC) in standard PDB records only if they are exactly the same
as what is residing in the PDB archive. This does not prevent databases
from including PDB entry_id's as cross-references where it is clear that
they refer to the PDB archive. PDB records refer to the standard PDB format.
The distribution of modified PDB data including the records HEADER, CAVEAT,
REVDAT, SPRSDE, DBREF, SEQADV, and MODRES in PDB format and their mmCIF and
XML equivalents is not allowed.
.
* The user assumes all responsibility for insuring that intellectual property
claims associated with any data set deposited in the PDB archive are honored.
It should be understood that the PDB data files do not contain any information
on intellectual property claims with the exception in some cases of a reference
for a patent involving the structure.
.
* Any opinion, findings, and conclusions expressed in the PDB archive by the
authors/contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the wwPDB.
.
* The data in the PDB archive are provided on an "as is" basis. The wwPDB
nor its comprising institutions cannot be held liable to any party for direct,
indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages, including lost
profits, arising from the use of PDB materials.
.
* Resources on this site are provided without warranty of any kind, either
expressed or implied. This includes but is not limited to merchantability or
fitness for a particular purpose. The institutions managing this site make
no representation that these resources will not infringe any patent or other
proprietary right.
I'm not sure if first waiving copyright and then adding restrictions
is a legal oxymoron or not, but at least this communicates the
intention of the Protein Data Bank with regards to the usage of PDB
files.
Best,
Teemu
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