Need advice: Package has a restrictive non-free modified MIT license

Aryan Karamtoth <[email protected]> Mon, 21 Jul 2025 07:24:17 +0530
Newsgroups gmane.linux.debian.devel.legal
Message-ID <PUZPR04MB6382183C59D9E2D5CEE5B7D0D35DA@PUZPR04MB6382.apcprd04.prod.outlook.com>
Hi,

I'm currently packaging python-itertree and filed a RFS [1] for the same 
since I was able to run the package tests and upload it to 
mentors.debian.net for sponsorship and review.

Boyuan then informed me that this package has a restrictive non-free 
modified MIT license which may violate DFSG #6.

DFSG #6:*No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor*

"The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in 
a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the 
program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic 
research."

The exact restrictive policy of the license is given below:

"Human protect patch:
The program and its derivative work will neither be modified or executed 
to harm any human being nor through
inaction permit any human being to be harmed."

Full license can be found here [2]

Unfortunately, this package is a dependency of python-pytooling (another 
package which I'm packaging) where as pytooling itself is a dependency 
of pyGHDL which is again required for a GHDL plugin under Debian 
Electronics Team I'm told.

Hence, this is an important package that needs to be in Debian.

I need advice on how to proceed with this package as its a very 
important one and the downstream packages of this upstream package are 
very useful tools that need to be in Debian.

[1] https://lists.debian.org/debian-mentors/2025/07/msg00146.html

[2] https://github.com/BR1py/itertree/blob/main/LICENSE

-- 
Regards,

Aryan Karamtoth
Debian Contributor
IRC: SpaciousCoder78

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