Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 16:11:40 +1000 From: Edwin Groothuis <edwin@mavetju.org> To: Jan Lentfer <Jan.Lentfer@web.de> Cc: ports@freebsd.org Subject: Re: port a copyrighted program Message-ID: <20020710061140.GC574@k7.mavetju> In-Reply-To: <3D2BC54C.3050501@web.de> References: <3D2BC54C.3050501@web.de>
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On Wed, Jul 10, 2002 at 07:25:32AM +0200, Jan Lentfer wrote: > I want to port the program "tree-puzzle" (www.tree-puzzle.de). The > problem is, it is copyrighted (but source is available). The next > problem ist, I will have to apply three small changes to the source code > (rename "radixsort" to "radix_sort" in two files). Would that already be > a problem since it is a change to copyrighted code? Do I have to ask > author's permission to integreate the program at all when source is > freely available (from different sites and without regestration). IANAL. There are a couple of ports which have the same problem, but they're still in the ports-tree. Some are not on the CDs, some are not packaged. Having copyrighted code does not mean that it is something you are not allowed to use/see. It only identifies who the owner of the code is. The next step is to find out what the license is. For example, all the things I've made and which are on my website are copyrighted by me and licensed to be freely usable to everybody. But if I'm getting shitty tomorrow about life, the universe and everything else I can release a new version of my software which is still copyrighted by me but not allowed to be used in the USA. Copyright vs License :-) I've just downloaded the puzzle-tree, as far as I can see the program is open-sourced with the GPL (i.e. you can legally download the source, you can make changes to it and you can redistribute it as long as you apply to the GPL rules). If patches you supply for the puzzle-tree ports are not part of the tree-puzzle program, they are yours. I don't know who owns it once they're in the FreeBSD ports system, but I think that with supplying them to the ports-system you silently handover the copyright on them to the FreeBSD project. Hmmm... little bit more text than I expected :-) Edwin -- Edwin Groothuis | Personal website: http://www.MavEtJu.org edwin@mavetju.org | Interested in MUDs? Visit Fatal Dimensions: bash$ :(){ :|:&};: | http://www.FatalDimensions.org/ To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-ports" in the body of the message
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