Re: TFS-CMU license

Soren Stoutner <[email protected]> Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:43:07 -0700

Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.legal
Organization	Debian
Message-ID	<3767112.yeFs27NDWt@soren-desktop>

On Wednesday, February 12, 2025 1:31:58 PM MST Jérémy Lal wrote:
> Is this DFSG-free ?
> 
>  * Largely written by Julian Elischer ([email protected])
>  * for TRW Financial Systems.
>  *
>  * TRW Financial Systems, in accordance with their agreement with Carnegie
>  * Mellon University, makes this software available to CMU to distribute
>  * or use in any manner that they see fit as long as this message is kept
> with
>  * the software. For this reason TFS also grants any other persons or
>  * organisations permission to use or modify this software.
>  *
>  * TFS supplies this software to be publicly redistributed
>  * on the understanding that TFS is not responsible for the correct
>  * functioning of this software in any circumstances.
>  *
>  * Ported to run under 386BSD by Julian Elischer ([email protected]) Sept 1992

The text of the license specifies that only CMU has the right to distribute the software.  
Everyone else only has the rights to use or modify it.

My guess is this was just an oversight by the person drafting the license, but given how it 
is written I think it wouldn’t be DFSG-free.

-- 
Soren Stoutner
[email protected]

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