[Pkg-fonts-devel] Bug#489039: closed by Holger Levsen <holger at layer-acht.org> (Re: Bug#489039: ttf-liberation: possibly undistributable)

[Francesco Poli]

On Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:39:41 +0000 Debian Bug Tracking System wrote:

[...]
> Hi,
> 
> On Thursday 03 July 2008 01:08, Francesco Poli wrote:
[...]
> > "Exception" 1(b), as mentioned in debian/copyright is still present:
> > | (b) As a further exception, any distribution of the object code of the
> > | Software in a physical product must provide you the right to access and
> > | modify the source code for the Software and to reinstall that modified
> > | version of the Software in object code form on the same physical product
> > | on which you received it.
> > However, this is not a further permission with respect to the GNU GPL
> > v2: it's a further restriction.
> 
> I dont see how this a restriction, it just a rewording of the rights you have 
> anyway.

AFAICT, the GNU GPL v2 does not mandate that redistributors grant any
right to reinstall modified versions of the work on the same physical
product.
The GNU GPL v3 goes in this direction, but there was no such attempt in
v2.

> 
> > This creates a self-contradictory license, as discussed on
> > the above cited debian-legal threads.
> 
> Where you where the lone "player"...

I don't think I was alone.

Wesley J. Landaker agrees that the "exception" is GPL incompatible,
even though he doesn't buy the invalid-license argument:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2007/05/msg00041.html

MJ Ray thinks the "exception" is not an exception, but a restriction
and adds that this results in an invalid license:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2007/05/msg00046.html

Ben Finney seems to confirm:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2007/05/msg00052.html


-- 
 http://frx.netsons.org/doc/index.html#nanodocs
 The nano-document series is here!
..................................................... Francesco Poli .
 GnuPG key fpr == C979 F34B 27CE 5CD8 DC12  31B5 78F4 279B DD6D FCF4
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/pkg-fonts-devel/attachments/20080703/0041a259/attachment.pgp