On Sat, Jun 17, 2000 at 11:06:35PM +0200, Adrian Bunk wrote: > > > mp3 Software Decoders/Players distributed free-of-charge via the Internet > > > for personal use of end-users > > > > > > No license fee is expected for desktop software mp3 decoders/players > > > that are distributed free-of-charge via the Internet for personal use > > > of end-users. > > > > > > [you have to pay license fees in all other cases] > > > > > > This seems to conflict with the DFSG. freeamp must go to non-free > > > > Actually, patent issues don't concern DFSG, the copyright/licensing issues > > The first point of the DFSG is: > > Free Redistribution > The license of a Debian component may not restrict any party from > selling or giving away the software as a component of an > aggregate software distribution containing programs from several > different sources. The license may not require a royalty or > other fee for such sale. > > > If you read the text above: "distributed free-of-charge via the Internet" > doesn't cover the distribution on a CD.
Yes, but it isn't "the license of a Debian component", it's an external patent. So technically it's not the software that isn't Free Software, it's some external condition that would make it move outside of main. (yeah, "non-free" is a misnomer) > > do. But yes, the packages would move to non-free... > > > > I am not completely convinced that this is a real threat. There was no > > threat for a lawsuit ever by the Fraunhofer or Thomson people against a free > > MP3 decoder that we shipped (although yes, this can be a problem for those > > CD vendors that make >10000 copies). The mp3licensing.com or > > Until now there was no threat for a lawsuit, but if they want they can try > it with EVERYONE who sells a CD - and if they want they can pick a very > small one (I think of that there is currently someone in Germany who has a > trademark on "webspace" and his lawyer sends letters that you must say you > don't use that word again - and that you have to pay at about 1000,- > Dollar for the lawyer who sent this letter. They always pick people / > small companies that don't have the money for a long lawsuit.). That's pure lunacy. Fortunately, Debian doesn't have to deal with it. > > thomson-multimedia.com sites have no clear reference or text of a patent > > that covers decoding. Rumour has it that decoding of MP3s is a simple > > Fourier transform, and there's a prior art for that process which dates back > > to the start of the century, so the patent wouldn't be valid, if it existed. > > > > Until further investigation (i.e. until someone quotes a patent that our > > free software packages infringe), let's downgrade the severity of these bug > > reports below release-critical. > >... > > I think these bugs are RC: Do you really want the risk of a lawsuit for > everyone who sells a CD with main of Debian? As I said above, we have yet to see a solid proof that they have something against all this software. With KDE we had the two licenses to analyze, here we just have lots of hot air. I'm CC:ing this to Richard, the release manager, his opinion on whether something is release-critical is final. -- Digital Electronic Being Intended for Assassination and Nullification
