Issues regarding copyright, or legal issues in general should be sent to debian-le...@lists.debian.org CC'd
On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 10:09:32PM -0800, Vaibhav Niku wrote: > Hello all > > pdf2ps, which is a frontend to gs, inserts a copyright notice in all PS files > it produces. I am using `GPL Ghostscript 8.71 (2010-02-10)'. Files look like > this: > > %!PS-Adobe-3.0 > ... > %%Creator: GPL Ghostscript 871 (pswrite) > ... > %%BeginProlog > % This copyright applies to everything between here and the %%EndProlog: > % Copyright (C) 2010 Artifex Software, Inc. All rights reserved. > %%BeginResource: procset GS_pswrite_2_0_1001 1.001 0 > ... > %%EndProlog > ... > %%EOF > > (Needless to say, the files are corrupted if you delete the Prolog stuff.) > > This is a serious issue on multiple counts: > > (i) The idea itself is ghastly! It is like saying that if you convert a photo > from one format to another in via ImageMagick tools, ImageMagick LLC will > hold the copyright to your new photo. And it may be even worse. Depending on > where all gs inserts the copyright notice, it may be equivalent to emacs > claiming copyright for all your code! > > (ii) Why is the information about this missing _everywhere_? Nothing in man > pages, nothing in /usr/share/doc/ghostscript/, nothing on gs homepages > (http://www.ghostscript.com and http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/ .) > > And finally, > (iii) Why is gs a part of Debian? Since Debian maintainers find such > restrictions acceptable for files produced by one program, how do I know that > it is not acceptable for other programs? Am I supposed to check files with a > hexeditor after every change I make to every file? > > > P.S.: Someone on #debian at irc.debian.org said that the notice is not > inserted when using the upcoming version 9.17 of gs. (available in wheezy; > the latest version for stable is 8.71) > > Even so, I would like to have clear information about this file. There are > probaly hundreds of thousands of files having this notice upto now. The > authors of these would be interested in knowing that ARTIFEX SOFTWARE, INC > claims copyright for them. > (https://duckduckgo.com/html/?q=%25%20This%20copyright%20applies%20to%20everything%20between%20here%20and%20the%20%25%25EndProlog%3A > ) > > Yours faithfully, > ~Vaibhav. > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org > with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org > Archive: > http://lists.debian.org/1356156572.82923.yahoomailclas...@web161706.mail.bf1.yahoo.com > -- "If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." --- Malcolm X -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20121222085116.GB3507@tal
