Re: License conditions for a specific file in praat
Soren Stoutner <[email protected]> Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:48:15 -0700
| Newsgroups | gmane.linux.debian.devel.legal |
|---|---|
| Organization | Debian |
| Message-ID | <3229933.QkHrqEjB74@soren-desktop> |
--nextPart3730244.72vocr9iq0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="nextPart6116168.8F6SAcFxjW"; protected-headers="v1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit From: Soren Stoutner <[email protected]> Subject: Re: License conditions for a specific file in praat Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:48:15 -0700 Message-ID: <3229933.QkHrqEjB74@soren-desktop> Organization: Debian In-Reply-To: <[email protected]> MIME-Version: 1.0 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --nextPart6116168.8F6SAcFxjW Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" On Tuesday, March 17, 2026 11:37:03=E2=80=AFAM Mountain Standard Time Micha= el Stehmann=20 wrote: > Hello, >=20 > you are right, the patents might be obsolete. I haven=E2=80=99t looked in= to this=20 > in any depth. That would also involve a considerable amount of work. >=20 > But the left over text is not really a license. >=20 > So the author might put his work under a free software license now > (one or more of more than 150 or a new one). >=20 > Until he will do it, there is a legal uncertainty. >=20 > Kind regards > Michael I agree. The best way forward would be to contact the author and see if he= will explicitly=20 release his work under a DFSG-free license. That doesn=E2=80=99t resolve any potential patent questions, but it would r= esolve the licensing=20 question. Debian and the free software movement in general tends to ignore= *potential*=20 patent problems because every piece of software could potentially be claime= d to exist=20 under one of the very liberal patents that has been granted, and only worry= about patents=20 when the a patent holder makes a *claim* that is substantiated in court. P= artially this is=20 because, even when there is a claim, a large number of them do not end up b= eing=20 substantiated under scrutiny. =2D-=20 Soren Stoutner [email protected] --nextPart6116168.8F6SAcFxjW Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" <html> <head> <meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3DUTF-8"> </head> <body><p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0= ;">On Tuesday, March 17, 2026 11:37:03=E2=80=AFAM Mountain Standard Time Mi= chael Stehmann wrote:</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; Hello,</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; </p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; you are right, the patents might be obsolete. I haven=E2=80=99t looked in= to this </p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; in any depth. That would also involve a considerable amount of work.</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; </p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; But the left over text is not really a license.</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; </p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; So the author might put his work under a free software license now</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; (one or more of more than 150 or a new one).</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; </p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; Until he will do it, there is a legal uncertainty.</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; </p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; Kind regards</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">>= ; Michael</p> <br /><p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0= ;">I agree. The best way forward would be to contact the author and s= ee if he will explicitly release his work under a DFSG-free license.</p> <br /><p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0= ;">That doesn=E2=80=99t resolve any potential patent questions, but it woul= d resolve the licensing question. Debian and the free software moveme= nt in general tends to ignore *potential* patent problems because every pie= ce of software could potentially be claimed to exist under one of the very = liberal patents that has been granted, and only worry about patents when th= e a patent holder makes a *claim* that is substantiated in court. Par= tially this is because, even when there is a claim, a large number of them = do not end up being substantiated under scrutiny.</p> <br /><p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0= ;">-- </p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">Sor= en Stoutner</p> <p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;">sor= [email protected]</p> </body> </html> --nextPart6116168.8F6SAcFxjW-- --nextPart3730244.72vocr9iq0 Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: This is a digitally signed message part. Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- iQIzBAABCgAdFiEEJKVN2yNUZnlcqOI+wufLJ66wtgMFAmm5oe8ACgkQwufLJ66w tgPFkQ/+Ld8RQZAiEbnpJXqx+T8xI0+rEcZ82gNUEZpQnal0GKYzcoBFKQHN2GqE HdOwbALFhvfiXXtqhLWA9Gmq31lVt08K6/JzIs0Ek949hvYZOlfrI3+EbRjoleUO MCm4Q+OrpI27vtTmWC0pc42OFS216iP1s/Rqntpgh3L7Gy44Q7JhA9IfNJUTkAzf dn5ys6K+hlhJi1EjDefD3pMAJcuZ8cHRHohov0UasnuMrmg/GAZ2LfJt+coLQJ3l 7RDy9VTrnpFYxDZTyhtHhmUkndtiIJ9TL8kt5b5ruM8KS/I6RabOM6wp5Olu0RPl AViQBQ5DTenc63NThwMz0qE/+b1isY0OSxFSVdDgaiASBBkDhbwDp9hDtrwZlQdW pFC0TnrdVpgVaGP3dYMok+/kSkLGaxsNbpFQ5Pph81kYhnwZOkm8DeytBR5pLoeq p2v8lKvRNJfkM8Yy7NnYToU1nZmmiuG7y2pGzhqG5iiYQCg+yIccR/Yrbfiasjqy uom9MNNDM7+aTEKKQVXfzMaGHCF8F9671zI3Puvpw7iHoj5wHmosi0PT/AgreLpS daD+iiHfWkPk0cg4t/T7mfNjwItaDNVTbxeoaFxKDBroMReczMIhOQHTbFGJFlwL YXwOtRezjMMOAZpy5Nw5knMGZx8uTKqRBGzVvBVu9iWitcJOAjU= =VbHO -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --nextPart3730244.72vocr9iq0--