From 724a16634aaeec98a7f7dd84ff33f2f7cd89f52c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: P. J. McDermott Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 14:28:16 -0400 Subject: Rewrite "Legal Terms" chapter. The following packages may now be distributed pursuant to this (not yet binding) policy: * alsa-lib * eglibc * gettext * glib * ncurses * zlib --- diff --git a/policies/inclusion/legal.mdwn b/policies/inclusion/legal.mdwn index 7136d36..5c5e08d 100644 --- a/policies/inclusion/legal.mdwn +++ b/policies/inclusion/legal.mdwn @@ -1,21 +1,155 @@ Title: Legal Terms -Copyright -========= +Copyrights and Licensing +======================== To be included in this distribution, a software package must either be free of -any copyright interests or be accompanied by a copyright license. If -accompanied by a license, the license must meet the following conditions: +any copyright interests (i.e. exist in the "public domain") or be accompanied by +one or more copyright licenses. If accompanied by one license, the license must +be a free license. If accompanied by multiple disjunctive licenses, at least +one of the licenses must be free (the package will then be included under the +terms of one of the free licenses). - * It must be a "free software license" as classified on the [list of - licenses published by Free Software Foundation, Inc.][fsl] - * It must be an "open source license" found on the [Open Source Initiative's - list of approved licenses][osl]. - * It must be a "free culture license" found on the [list of licenses that meet - the Definition of Free Cultural Works][fcl]. +A "free" license is one that is classified as free by at least one of the +following resources and is not classified as non-free by any of the following +resources: + * [Free Software Foundation, Inc.'s License List][] + * [List of Licenses Approved by the Fedora Project][] + * [List of Licenses Approved by the Open Source Initiative][] + * [List of Licenses that Meet the Debian Free Software Guidelines][] + * [List of Licenses that Meet the Definition of Free Cultural Works][] -[fsl]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html -[osl]: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/alphabetical -[fcl]: http://freedomdefined.org/Licenses#List_of_licenses +These resources and their license classifications are described under [License +Classification Resources][]. + +Examples +-------- + +Version 1.0 of the Artistic License is listed as a license that meets the Debian +Free Software Guidelines. However, Free Software Foundation, Inc. lists the +license as non-free. At least one resource lists it as non-free, so -- even +though at least one resource lists it as free -- Artistic License version 1.0 is +considered non-free according to this policy. + +The Free Art License is categorized as free on Free Software Foundation, Inc.'s +license list and the list of licenses that meet the Definition of Free Cultural +Works. However, the Debian Project has identified multiple potential problems +in the interpretation of the license terms and lists the license as one "whose +status is unsettled", which for the purposes of this policy makes the license +non-free according to this resource. Again, at least one resource lists it as +non-free, so the Free Art License is considered non-free according to this +policy. + + +License Classification Resources +================================ + +Free Software Foundation, Inc.'s License List +--------------------------------------------- + +Free Software Foundation, Inc. (FSF) is a non-profit organization incorporated +in the United States of America. The FSF has published a document titled +"[Various Licenses and Comments about Them][fsfll]" that lists copyright +licenses in various categories. + +For the purposes of this policy, licenses listed in the referenced document +under the following categories are considered free by this resource: + + * GPL-Compatible Free Software Licenses + * GPL-Incompatible Free Software Licenses + * Free Documentation Licenses + * Licenses for Works of Practical Use Besides Software and Documentation + +For the purposes of this policy, licenses listed in the referenced document +under the following categories are considered non-free by this resource: + + * Nonfree Software Licenses + * Nonfree Documentation Licenses + * Licenses for Works of Opinion and Judgment + +List of Licenses Approved by the Fedora Project +----------------------------------------------- + +The Fedora Project is the community that develops the Fedora GNU/Linux +distribution, sponsored by Red Hat, Inc. The Fedora Project maintains a +[list of acceptable licenses][fpll] under which software may be included in +Fedora. + +For the purposes of this policy, licenses listed in the referenced document +under the following categories are considered free by this resource: + + * Software License List, Good Licenses + * Documentation Licenses, Good Licenses + * Content Licenses, Good Licenses + * Font Licenses, Good Licenses + +For the purposes of this policy, licenses listed in the referenced document +under the following categories are considered non-free by this resource: + + * Software License List, Bad Licenses + * Software License List, Unknown Licenses + * Documentation Licenses, Bad Licenses + * Content Licenses, Bad Licenses + * Font Licenses, Bad Licenses + +List of Licenses Approved by the Open Source Initiative +------------------------------------------------------- + +The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is a non-profit organization incoroporated in +the United States of America. The OSI has published the Open Source Definition, +a set of criteria that qualify software packages as "open source". The OSI +maintains a [list of licenses that it has approved][osial] for the "open source" +label via its License Review Process. + +For the purposes of this policy, all licenses listed in the referenced document +are considered free by this resource. + +List of Licenses that Meet the Debian Free Software Guidelines +-------------------------------------------------------------- + +The Debian Project is the community that develops the Debian GNU/Linux +distribution, sponsored by Software in the Public Interest, Inc. (SPI). The +Debian Project ratified the Debian Social Contract, including the Debian Free +Software Guidelines, a set of requirements for software packages to be included +as official parts of Debian. The Debian Project maintains a [list of licenses +that meet the Debian Free Software Guidelines][dfgsl]. + +For the purposes of this policy, licenses listed in the referenced document +under the following categories are considered free by this resource: + + * The Big DFSG-compatible Licenses + +For the purposes of this policy, licenses listed in the referenced document +under the following categories are considered non-free by this resource: + + * Licenses whose status is unsettled + * Licenses that are DFSG-incompatible + +For the avoidance of doubt, the GNU Free Documentation License is considered +free by this resource when it is applied with no invariant sections. + +List of Licenses that Meet the Definition of Free Cultural Works +---------------------------------------------------------------- + +The Definition of Free Cultural Works was initiated by Erik Möller and +co-initiated by Benjamin Mako Hill. Along with the definition itself is +published a [list of licenses that meet the definition][dfcwl]. + +For the purposes of this policy, all licenses listed in the referenced document +are considered free by this resource. + +[fsfll]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html +[fpll]: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Licensing +[osial]: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/alphabetical +[dfsgl]: http://wiki.debian.org/DFSGLicenses +[dfcwl]: http://freedomdefined.org/Licenses#List_of_licenses + + -- cgit v0.9.1