Re: Removal of Packages from Hamm (!)
On Fri, May 22, 1998 at 06:59:08PM +0100, Jules Bean wrote:
> --On Fri, May 22, 1998 10:42 am -0700 "David Welton" <davidw@gate.cks.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Ok, let's look at the full license.
> >
> > --------
> > Copyright:
> >
> > IRC II is copyright (c) 1990 by Michael Sandrof. You have the
> > right to copy, compile, and maintain this software. You also
> > have the right to make modifcations to this code for local use
> > only.
> >
> > Version 2.1.1 to 2.2pre7 are Copyright 1991, 1992 Troy Rollo.
> >
> > Versions 2.2pre8 and above are copyright (c) 1992-1996
> > matthew green. Any modifications to this code may be
> > redistributed with this copyright attached.
> > --------
> >
> > My understanding is that we are only distributing "versions 2.2pre8
> > and above" and that goes for all the derivatives as well. So, doesn't
> > this supercede the first part? This is de facto free software. It
> > has been such for the past 3 or 4 years... Doesn't this establish
> > some kind of precedent?
> I'm afraid not. The original author, Michael Sandrof, has asserted
> copyright. Unless it is the case that >= 2.1.1 consistutes a complete
> rewrite, (and the inclusion of the earlier copyright to me suggests it
> doesn't) then his rights stand. If we want to play this one by the book, we
> need a declaration from Michael Sandrof that he has ceded copyright, or that
> he is happy for free (including commercial) distribution.
But it says that the recent versions (after *1992* !) are copyright
Matthew Green. If we start not taking these things in good faith,
then.. hrmm mightn't it be possible to paint ourselves into a rather
tricky corner? Who's to say that anything is really registered to
anyone? How many of the programs we distribute are really registered
in some sort of more legal/formal fashion?
> But no, I'm not a lawyer.
But I play one on debian-devel! ;-)))
So, if this is truly non-free software, then I suppose we ought to
alert the various ftp sites to stop distribution of ircII, epic,
bitchx, etc, because they risk prosecution? I dont much care for the
idea of limiting ourselves while everyone else goes about their
business of treating ircII as the de facto open source product that it
is.
Ciao,
--
David Welton http://www.efn.org/~davidw
Debian GNU/Linux - www.debian.org
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