[Debian-med-packaging] sift and blimps license interpretation - can Debian redistribute these?

[Steffen Möller]

On 02/19/2012 12:23 PM, Laszlo Kajan wrote:
> Dear fellow packagers!
>
> I am not certain about the interpretation of the attached sift/blimps license (ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/repository/blocks/unix/blimps/LICENSE - I
> am packaging these right now). The license is not free that's for sure, but:
>
> * Can Debian redistribute it at all? - in other words: can we have sift and blimps in non-free?
>
> This seems to be the relevant bit:
>
>> 2. [...] b.  Licensee may not charge any fee or royalty for copies
>> of the Program or Derivative Work.
up to here it is fine, just for the non-free section.
>> Licensee is authorized to
>> sublicense the Program and any Derivative Work to third parties on a
>> royalty-free basis subject to the terms of this license but may not
>> otherwise distribute the Program or any Derivative Work.
I tend to interpret it as "you may ship this as it is or with modifications
as long as you do not see a cent for it".
>> Notwithstanding the foregoing, Licensee may be reimbursed for any
>> actual expenses it incurs in reproducing or delivering a copy of the
>> Program or any Derivative Work.
> Is redistribution 'sublicensing'? Debian does redistribution on a 'royalty-free basis', so my judgement is that Debian is allowed to
> redistribute sift/blimps.
>
> If Debian is not allowed to redistribute it, probably neither is Ubuntu or Biolinux.
So, I think it is ok to redistribute, it just needs to go to non-free.

Best,

Steffen