Re: Question about icons related to a trademark in a package

Fabio Fantoni <[email protected]> Tue, 23 Dec 2025 22:22:00 +0100
Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.legal
Message-ID	<[email protected]>
Il 23/12/2025 21:23, Soren Stoutner ha scritto:
> On Tuesday, December 23, 2025 12:31:29 PM Mountain Standard Time Fabio Fantoni
> wrote:
>> Il 23/12/2025 19:38, Francesco Poli ha scritto:
>>
>>> On Tue, 23 Dec 2025 15:47:10 +0100 Fabio Fantoni wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> [...]
>>>
>>>> And would the copyright part I tried to do be correct?
>>> [...]
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In addition to what Soren has already commented about trademark laws, I
>>> would like to point out that stating "License: CC0-1.0" for that icon
>>> does not look correct to me.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> First of all, the [icon] on SVG repo states "LICENSE: PD License",
>>> which is not exactly CC0-v1.0 ...
>>> The [explanation] of "PD License" (a very misleading tag, by the
>>> way...) on SVG repo says that the author has waived his/her rights
>>> under copyright law to the extend allowed by law, or that the work is
>>> not eligible ("ineligable" looks like a typo, I think the text meant
>>> "eligible") for copyright.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> [icon]: <https://www.svgrepo.com/svg/513083/windows-174>
>>> [explanation]: <https://www.svgrepo.com/page/licensing/#PD>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Well, public domain is difficult and varies wildly across
>>> jurisdictions, so beware!
>>> Please also read [section] 7.1.1 "Public domain" of the
>>> Machine-readable debian/copyright file specification (version 1.0):
>>> please explain why that icon should be considered in the public domain.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> [section]:
>>> <https://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/
> #license
>>> -short-name>
>>>
>>>
>>> I hope this helps.
>>> Season's greetings!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Thanks for your replies, I wrote CC0-1.0 because on
>> https://www.svgrepo.com/page/licensing/#PD I found:
>>
>>
>>> /(As visual work) This license also might be referred as No copyright
>>> or CC0 1.0 Universal PD Dedication on our website./
>>
>> this can be correct?
> Wow!  That is an interesting situation.  I have never gone down this rabbit
> hole before.
>
> 1.  There is a distinction between the something in the Public Domain and the
> CC0 license, particularly in certain jurisdictions around the world.  One of
> the distinctions is that, in some parts of the world, you cannot “release”
> something into the Public Domain.  Rather, it can only “age” into the Public
> Domain after a certain number of years.
>
> 2.  The CC0 muddies this water, because on their website they state:
>
> "CC0 1.0 Universal"
>
> "The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the
> public domain by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under
> copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent
> allowed by law.”
>
> https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en
>
> It is true that the CC0 tries to mimic the same results of the Public Domain,
> using a license to do so instead of the actual Public Domain.
>
> 3.  The svgrepo website specifically states that when icons are listed as “PD
> License” on their website, that means CC0.  Note that “PD License” is not the
> same as “Public Domain”, particularly because Public Domains works are not
> licensed, and “PD License” is expressly a . . . license.
>
> https://www.svgrepo.com/page/licensing/#PD
>
> svgrepo is legally free to define “PD License” however they like.  And they
> are clear that when they write it, they mean “CC0 License” (they even link to
> the CC0 in their explanation).
>
> So, based mostly on point 3, I think you are correct to list this as the CC0
> in debian/copyright.  I would recommend amending your comment in debian/
> copyright to say that the upstream website names the license as “PD License”,
> but then defines it as being the same as the CC0 license, with a link to
> https://www.svgrepo.com/page/licensing/#PD.
>
This is correct and complete?

> Files: icons/symbolic/xsi-applications-wine-symbolic.svg
> Copyright: 2024 bypeople
> License: CC0-1.0
> Comment: Source: https://www.svgrepo.com/svg/513083/windows-174
>  The upstream source lists this icon under "PD License" which SVG Repo
>  defines as equivalent to CC0-1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
>  See: https://www.svgrepo.com/page/licensing/#PD
>  .
>  This icon depicts a stylized window design resembling the Windows logo.
>  Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. The icon is
>  used solely for referential purposes to indicate Windows platform
>  compatibility, which constitutes nominative fair use of the trademark.
>  No endorsement by or affiliation with Microsoft Corporation is implied.
>
> License: CC0-1.0
>  SPDX license expression "CC0-1.0": https://spdx.org/licenses/CC0-1.0.html
>  .
>  On Debian systems, the complete text of the CC0 Public Domain Dedication
>  can be found in "/usr/share/common-licenses/CC0-1.0".
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