Re: Info Problem
On Tue, 9 Dec 2003 21:02:46 +0000,
Colin Watson <cjwatson@debian.org> wrote in message
<[🔎] 20031209210246.GA20417@riva.ucam.org>:
> On Tue, Dec 09, 2003 at 08:23:19PM +0100, Arnt Karlsen wrote:
> > On Tue, 9 Dec 2003 17:59:09 +0000,
> > Colin Watson <cjwatson@debian.org> wrote in message
> > <[🔎] 20031209175908.GA18541@riva.ucam.org>:
> > > Eh? The code is GPL. The person in question was perfectly aware of
> > > this and licensed his code the same way. *No* liberties are being
> > > taken!
> >
> > .._we_ know that. His _heirs_, does not neccessarily know,
> > understand, or appreciate, this fact. Which again _may_ cause such
> > bad feelings.
> >
> > ..myself, I prefer to err on the side of caution, such bad feelings
> > _can_ be prevented, both by removal of dead mens code, and
> > by asking the heirs. Removal and rewriting, is of course the
> > safest approach, but forces "re-inventing the wheel", I like to see
> > re-innovation happen on technological merits alone, not just
> > because someone dies.
>
> Now I wish I'd never mentioned this. The case is no different from
> code contributed in any other way. Go and dig up copies from
> /usr/share/doc/man-db/copyright from back when Fabrizio was
> maintaining it if you care; I don't have an interest in discussing
..I do care, I prefer us chewing each other out than risk anyone doubt
anyones copyright unwarrantedly, it also has the benefit of making our
position on it clear as glass. ;-)
> this further when you haven't read the text he himself wrote which
> makes the legal situation perfectly clear.
..I agree, he wrote: "The primary copyright holder is Graeme Wilford.".
..http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=copyright+%22Fabrizio+Polacco+
%3Cfpolacco%40debian.org%3E%22+%22man-db%22++-%22the+late+%22
produced /usr/share/doc/man-db/copyright files like this below:
"This is the Debian GNU/Linux prepackaged version of the "man_db" Manual
Page Browser Utility Package Version 2.3.12 ; it was written by Graeme
Wilford<G.Wilford@ee.surrey.ac.uk>, with documentation reorganized by
Nils Magnus <n_magnus@informatik.uni-kl.de> .
The author has stoped work on it and it is actually maintained by
Fabrizio Polacco <fpolacco@debian.org>.
This package is a native Debian package.
This program is under the GNU General Public License, Version 2.
The primary copyright holder is Graeme Wilford. Portions are copyrighted
by Free Software Foundation, Inc. Portions are copyrighted by John W.
Eaton.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; version 2 dated June, 1991.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
A copy of the GNU General Public License is available in
/usr/share/common-license/GPL (as installed by package base-files);
if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA."
..above file quote is a wee bit mangled by my 72 character line wraps.
> EOThread for me.
..agreed, my note of disagrement on the appropriateness of approaching
copyright heirs is not specific to man-db, we should always make sure
such heirs knows our position on their copyrights future use.
..and, as John Hasler <john@dhh.gt.org> wrote on Tue, 09 Dec 2003
10:59:40 -0600, in message <[🔎] 877k160vwj.fsf@toncho.dhh.gt.org>:
> I wrote:
> > I don't think [the right of reversion] has any effect at all [on
> > Free Software]. I believe it only affects transfers, not licenses.
>
> I just did some research and it appears that I was wrong. See
> <http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2003/03/duboff.php>
>
> Looks like the best thing to do about this damn thing is to leave your
> copyrights to the FSF in your will.
--
..med vennlig hilsen = with Kind Regards from Arnt... ;-)
...with a number of polar bear hunters in his ancestry...
Scenarios always come in sets of three:
best case, worst case, and just in case.
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