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Re: LICENSE questions



Thomas Klausner <wiz%NetBSD.org@localhost> writes:

> And here's another one:
> totem is gpl2, but has an exception clause:
>
>> The Totem project hereby grants permission for non-GPL compatible
>> GStreamer plugins to be used and distributed together with GStreamer and
>> Totem. This permission is above and beyond the permissions granted by
>> the GPL license by which Totem is covered. If you modify this code, you may
>> extend this exception to your version of the code, but you are not obligated
>> to do so. If you do not wish to do so, delete this exception statement from
>> your version.
>>
>> Note that the src/backend/bacon-video-widget-xine.c file does not require 
>> such
>> an exception as it does not link to GStreamer plugins.
>>
>> Note that the src/totem-subtitle-encoding.c file was relicensed to LGPL
>> (see http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=515809).

The purpose of the license mechanism is to prevent building packages
that have non-free licenses without realizing it (and giving
instructions to pkgsrc to proceed in such cases rather than fail).  In
the case of totem, the software is free software, and additionally
permission is granted for activities which may or may not be regulated
by copyright law.  So we can either


   A) say that this software is licensed under gpl2 and tag it that way,
   and ignore the extra permission, perhaps noting it in a comment

or

   B) add a totem license file that says that it says, and use that, and
   add it to the default list of nonfail licenses.


I think A is the right call.  If the license were less than GPL, instead
of more, then B would be the right call, except that it wouldn't get
added to the default unless vetted by one of our license approving
bodies.

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