Re: [Enigma-devel] Copyrights

[Daniel Heck]

Ralf Westram wrote:

> But on the GNU website they only state that the file COPYING *should*
> contain the GPL. So we can write sth else in there and provide the GPL
> in another file.

That's what I meant.

> One possible solution would be to state something as follows in the
> file COPYING:
> 
> 1. The following parts of ENIGMA may be freely copied or distributed
> as long as they remain parts of the package called ENIGMA.
> You are disallowed to modify these parts and you are disallowed to
> copy or distribute them seperated from ENIGMA.
> 
>       <detailed list of stuff not under the GPL>
> 
> 2. Everything else may be freely copied, distributed and modified
> according to the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE (see <filename_of_GPL>).

Sure, if there is no other solution, we may have to resort to something
like this.  The problem is that this will make Enigma non-free.  There
are a few problems with this:

  - Who _is_ allowed to modify these files?  Only Ralf? Only team
    members with CVS write access?

  - Will we still be allowed to host Enigma on nongnu.org? Most probably
not!

  - Even if we put the Sokoban levels into a level pack, we probably
would not
    be allowed to host the packages on the nongnu server.

Is there a chance that we can get the Sokoban levels licensed under the
GPL? What are the exact conditions under which we may distribute the
levels?

> I'm not sure whether such a modified copying license makes "GNU
> Enigma" impossible.

I'm not so keen on becoming a GNU project anymore, although for entirely
different reasons, but yes, such a license certainly would make a "GNU
Enigma" impossible. 


Cheers
Daniel