From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Thread: 103376,d0f6c37e3c1b712a X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit Path: g2news2.google.com!postnews.google.com!j72g2000cwa.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail From: "Ludovic Brenta" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ada in Debian: most libraries will switch to the pure GPL in Etch Date: 27 Jun 2006 08:28:38 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Message-ID: <1151422118.772405.307200@j72g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> References: <1151405920.523542.137920@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 212.190.145.10 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Trace: posting.google.com 1151422124 21709 127.0.0.1 (27 Jun 2006 15:28:44 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 15:28:44 +0000 (UTC) In-Reply-To: User-Agent: G2/0.2 X-HTTP-UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; SunOS sun4u; fr-FR; rv:1.6) Gecko/20040116,gzip(gfe),gzip(gfe) X-HTTP-Via: 1.1 SEVPXS01 Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: j72g2000cwa.googlegroups.com; posting-host=212.190.145.10; posting-account=ZjNXewwAAADyBPkwI57_UcX8yKfXWOss Xref: g2news2.google.com comp.lang.ada:5072 Date: 2006-06-27T08:28:38-07:00 List-Id: Dr. Adrian Wrigley wrote : > On Tue, 27 Jun 2006 03:58:40 -0700, Ludovic Brenta wrote: > > > I received detailed answers from AdaCore's Robert Dewar and Arnaud > > Charlet regarding the licenses of software downloaded from their > > servers. In summary: > > > > - All software downloaded from AdaCore is pure GPL, no matter what the > > headers say. > > > > - This also applies to software downloaded from the CVS server in > > source-only form. > > > > - They refuse to give any assurances regarding copyright ownership, so > > I feel that I now need to go ask the authors. > > > > - They will not sign a license document, even if a lawyer asked them > > (they are not required to sign anything, of course). > > I'm a little confused by all this... > > Can you tell us which combination of the following is true, from > what you understand: > > 1) the GMGPL licences issued by AdaCode and others are being revoked? Switched to pure GPL, not revoked. The "linking and generic instantiation" exception is revoked. > 2) AdaCore and others say they never granted licences under GMGPL? They don't say that, but they refuse to give details on when the switch took place. I don't know. Ask them. From a theoretical standpoint, I am indeed quite worried that I have downloaded and redistributed AdaCore's software, thinking in good faith I had the right to do so when in fact I didn't, since I didn't have written permission from any of the copyright holders. Remember, the headers amount to naught from a legal perspective. Practically speaking, I don't think AdaCore will sue me, or anyone else, for that. IANAL. > 3) the licences were granted and are still in force? I don't know. I asked but they wouldn't go into specifics. Ask them for yourself, if you're concerned. > 4) all licencing terms embedded in the distributions are repudiated? They never had any legal force; only a signed statement from the copyright holder has legal force. > 5) the SW is Free (in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html terms)? Yes, since it is under GPL. That much they are willing to say and certify, but not in writing :( > (does this cover the basic possibilities?) > > the code in question being GtkAda, libgnat, GLADE, etc. > > In some cases (GtkAda?), the original authors transferred copyright to > AdaCore(?) - did the original authors revoke or repudiate the licences > in effecting this transfer? As I explained above, I don't know, and AdaCore refused to tell me. Ask each author individually. -- Ludovic Brenta.