Nicholas D Steeves <s...@debian.org> writes: > [[PGP Signed Part:Undecided]] > Hello, > > Soren Stoutner <so...@debian.org> writes: > >> On Wednesday, June 26, 2024 3:13:38 PM MST Nicholas D Steeves wrote: >>> Soren Stoutner <so...@debian.org> writes: >> >> When debian/copyright contains a “Files: *” without a separate “Files: >> debian/*” section, it is >> making an explicit statement that the entire debian directory is licenses >> with the >> information listed in “Files: *”. It is possible, even likely, that this >> was a typo, and doesn’t >> represent the intention of the author of the debian/* files, but it is what >> he wrote down. > > If "it is possible, even likely, that it is a typo", intention cannot be > inferred, and due diligence and goodwill need to be demonstrated before > proceeding; this is why we contact the people involved in such cases. > >> Unless there is some other written indication that the author of the >> original debian/* files >> intended a different license, **we have to assume he meant what he wrote** >> when he >> drafted debian/copyright. > > This is a conclusion of convenience, not one of necessity. Legal > battles cost money--even stupid and self-evident ones like trademarks > where there was already prior art. Our upstream copyright statements > are one of convenience, but our debian/* statements are actual. > >> Soren >> >> PS. To fully flush out this discussion, this is what was written in >> debian/copyright: >> >> Files: * >> Copyright: 2011-2019 François-Xavier Bois >> License: GPL-2+ >> >> François-Xavier Bois is the upstream developer. Thomas Koch >> <tho...@koch.ro> is the >> package maintainer who wrote debian/copyright. If he had intended to >> license his >> contributions under the GPL-2+, I would have expected that he would have >> added his name >> to the copyright field (or, even better, created a separate debian/* >> section). But, copyright >> law allows an author to transfer their copyright to another party. > > I agree, but this is not without pitfalls and ambiguities, particularly > when looking at international cases. > >> So, imagine that Thomas >> Koch wanted to transfer his copyright for debian/* to François-Xavier Bois. >> If that was what >> he wanted to do, then he could indicate that by putting the following in >> debian/copyright: >> >> Files: * >> Copyright: 2011-2019 François-Xavier Bois >> License: GPL-2+ > > Comment: This is what the DEP5 comment field is for, and where the > intention to assign copyright may be unambiguously declared. > Alternatively, the author could say here that the work does not meet > the threshold for originality necessary for copyright to occur.
Actually I think this was the case for web-mode given Thomas' response in [1]. Also, when I asked in #debian-mentors, more people share the same view and they also choose not to add a separate license clause for "File: debian/*" as a result. I think that suggests that omitting it may be a common practice, and if that is common enough, it could be considered intentional. Still, I think it would be good to have a policy or recommendation on how a DD or DM should do here. I don't see this addressed in the Debian Policy or the Debian Developer Manual though. > Alternatively, a debian/* "License: CC0" could have been declared as an > "I don't care what you do with this" statement. > >> And because that is exactly what he did put in debian/copyright, we have to >> assume he >> meant what he wrote unless we have some other communication from him >> indicating >> otherwise. > > because -> therefore is neither valid nor true. > > All this aside, I think we can agree that it is wrong to write copyright > statements on behalf of other people without their knowledge or consent; > this was primarily why I sent my mentee here. I'm also surprised that > no one mentioned that the longer the list of copyright holders, the > harder it is to ever change to a potentially better license (eg: The > Linux kernel is likely to remain GPL-2-only forever, unless rewritten). > > Regards, > Nicholas > > [[End of PGP Signed Part]] [1] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1074413#10 -- Xiyue Deng
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