[Debian-in-workers] Bug#522490: ttf-devanagari-fonts: AksharYogini font is likely to be non free

[Christian Perrier]

Package: ttf-devanagari-fonts
Version: 1:0.5.4
Severity: serious
Justification: Policy 2.2.1

Very sad duty of mine, but I have to do it....

The AksharYogini font is very likely to be considered non free wrt DFSG. The
license text is a non-standard license, saying:


        You are encouraged to freely distribute the font through your
	websites or other media, provided you mention the base URL for the
	font availability (http://aksharyogini.sudhanwa.com) and also the
	terms and conditions given below.
	
        The font is free to use, free to share, free to distribute subject
	to the terms and conditions mentioned below.
	
        1. The user acknoledges that this font is released in the memory of
	Yogini Joglekar
	   
        2. The user acknoledges the efforts and the creative work of the
	font creator Mr. Ravi Pande (contact email id panravi at yahoo.com)
	   
        3. THE FONT IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
	EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR OWNERS OR
	PERSONS/ ORGANISATIONS RELATED TO THIS FONT AND/OR THIS WEBSITE BE
	LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITIES.

A thread started on the indlinux mailing list (mailbox attached, as browsing
sourceforge lists are very inconvenient) about it, and the conclusion is
that the text of that license makes it non free, particularly because it
does not mention the freedom to modify.

debian-legal's advice (though the thread was short) is about the same:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2009/04/msg00001.html

I suggest moving this font to a non-free package in order to avoid the
entire package to be considered as pertaining to non-free. Please note that
discussion quoted from the indlinux mailing list clearly shows that upstream
should be suggested to relicense the font under a free license such as GPL
or OFL (provided that the invariable section about dedication to Yogini
Yoglekar is compatible with such licenses).


-- System Information:
Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.28-1-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages ttf-devanagari-fonts depends on:
ii  defoma                       0.11.10-0.2 Debian Font Manager -- automatic f

ttf-devanagari-fonts recommends no packages.

Versions of packages ttf-devanagari-fonts suggests:
ii  x-ttcidfont-conf              32         TrueType and CID fonts configurati
ii  xserver-xorg-core [xserver]   2:1.4.2-11 Xorg X server - core server

-- no debconf information