Re: Missing copyright clause of debian directory

Xiyue Deng <[email protected]> Sun, 14 Apr 2024 01:10:18 -0700

Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.legal
Message-ID	<[email protected]>

Richard Laager <[email protected]> writes:

> I've only looked at this situation for a total of five minutes prior
> to writing this email, so take this with a grain of salt. But to help
> you make forward progress...
>
> Upstream seems to use GPL-3+ (not GPL-3). For example:
> https://github.com/fxbois/web-mode/blob/a9d21841224da3295f2dd0a90022f5e435e48046/web-mode.el#L13
>
> The existing copyright says GPL-2+ (not GPL-2).
>

Ack.  I should have used the more precise terms.

> On 2024-04-10 23:05, Xiyue Deng wrote:
>> 1. whether I can add the new copyright section to cover debian/*, and
>
> I think it is pretty typical to have a debian/* section. And if the
> licenses differ (see below), then you would _have_ to have separate
> sections.
>
>> 2. whether I should use GPL-2 as when the previous maintainer last
>> worked on this or I can use GPL-3 to match upstream version as well?
>
> If that is what you believe applies to the debian files (which is what
> debian/copyright says today), then I would keep it as that. GPL-2+ is,
> of course, compatible with GPL-3+.
>
> So I think you end up with something like this:
>
> Files: *
> License: GPL-3+
> Copyright: fill in the upstream copyright holders
>
> Files: debian/*
> License: GPL-2+
> Copyright: previous maintainer, you

Thanks for the suggestions Richard!

-- 
Xiyue Deng

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