Resending to the list -- I didn't notice that Ivan had sent this to me only, and my reply, of course, then went to him only.
On Sunday, January 27, 2019 10:06:46 AM Ivan Ivanov wrote: > Yes: The linux devs can rescind their license grant. GPLv2 is a bare > license and is revocable by the grantor. Search for "vsnsdualce" "gpl" > online to find his messages which prove that, he is a lawyer and has > investigated this subject very well. I am CC'ing him in case you'd > like to request more information. So if you didn't like the Code of > Conduct covertly accepted behind the scenes against your will, and > maybe some other questionable political decisions in technical > projects > (e.g. the recent removal of useful "weboob" package which > have been a part of Debian for 8 years but got removed just because > some mad SJWs suddenly got offended at its' name) - well you know what > to do, and maybe vsnsdualce will be happy to help with your case free > of charge. I *might* go read some of the stuff by vsnsdualce, but the Weboob situation is not an example of a (free or GPL) license being rescinded. (You didn't quite say it was, but one could infer that is what you are trying to say by its inclusion in the same paragraph.) Whatever license and rights conveyed by that license still exist, but Debian (not the copyright owner) has decided no longer to include that in what they distribute. You can still get the Weboob package from other sources (unless they all disappear) and use the Weboob package in accordance with the license terms for the package you find. Just another aside: One of my takes on lawyers is that they interpret laws and take legal positions for various reasons, often to further their own or their client's interests, and then are willing to fight the legal battle that may ensue. A lawyer expressing an opinion does not make that opinion correct / legal.