Re: [Enigma-devel] Copyrights

[Ralf Westram]

Hi,

>> Not necessarily a problem, since it's always possible to explicitly
>> allow this sort of "linking".  It's only a matter of changing a few
>> lines in the COPYING file.

I think we are not allowed to modify the file COPYING, cause nobody is
allowed to distribute modified version of the GPL.

But on the GNU website they only state that the file COPYING *should*
contain the GPL. So we can write sth else in there and provide the GPL
in another file.

>>> a different package and is licenced under a different licence.
>> packs. But we're at a point where we need the advice of experts...
> The big problem, I belive, is the levels (and anything else) that is under
> a different licence being distributed with Enigms. This is *only* a problem
> if you assert that the ENTIRE package is distributed under the GPL. RMS
> prefers that GNU packages be distributed under a SINGLE licence (be it even
> i licence that says 'you may use the program under either the MPL or GPL.
> If you wish for your changes to be available under only one of these
> licences, please replace this message with the message specified in that
> licence') that allows use under a free software licence.

I think if the discussion leads towards distributing Enigma in
seperated parts - and I fear that would mean that Enigma will not be
included as a whole in Linux distribs (such as SuSE and Knoppix) - we
shouldn't distribute the entire Enigma package under the GPL.

One possible solution would be to state something as follows in the
file COPYING:

----------

1. The following parts of ENIGMA may be freely copied or distributed
as long as they remain parts of the package called ENIGMA.
You are disallowed to modify these parts and you are disallowed to
copy or distribute them seperated from ENIGMA.

        <detailed list of stuff not under the GPL>

2. Everything else may be freely copied, distributed and modified
according to the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE (see <filename_of_GPL>).

----------

One additional problem with the Sokoban levels is that I only have the 
permission
to distribute them "as part of Enigma" (but maybe we could simply define
"extension packages" as "part of Enigma").


I'm not sure whether such a modified copying license makes "GNU
Enigma" impossible.

But I think we shouldn't forget that the initial reason to convert
Enigma into "GNU Enigma" was only the fact, that there are other games
named Enigma and we wanted to distinguish our Enigma from theirs.

If it is getting to complicated we could as well stay with "Enigma",
especially because without doubt our Enigma is the best. ;-)


bye
Ralf

-- 
It might look like I'm doing nothing,
but at the cellular level I'm really quite busy.