On 05/07/13 10:01, Paolo Bonzini wrote: > Il 07/05/2013 09:22, Laszlo Ersek ha scritto: >>>> diff --git a/po/hu.po b/po/hu.po >>>> new file mode 100644 >>>> index 0000000..340709f >>>> --- /dev/null >>>> +++ b/po/hu.po >>>> @@ -0,0 +1,63 @@ >>>> +# Hungarian translation for QEMU. >>>> +# This file is put in the public domain. >>> >>> Same issue as with the recent Turkish translation here FWIW. >> >> Yes, I recalled that, but the existing .po files come with the same >> license (I checked), including tr.po. >> >> What was the problem again with public domain contributions? > > The problem is that in some legislations (including most civil law > countries, i.e. most of Europe) you cannot legally put something in the > public domain. > > You can only waive your copyright, and there is more than just > copyright. You cannot waive your moral rights for example, which > include the right to the integrity of the work and to preserve it for > alternation---interesting concept in open source. Moral rights are even > perpetual in many jurisdictions. You need a contract/license that says > that you won't enforce moral rights, for example the CC0 license. > > Interesting, there is no local port of CC0. In my non-lawyer eyes > that's a pity, but there must be a reason for that. :)
I'm aware of this to some extent. For example, as far as I know, the GPL itself is questionable in Hungary, where as you say you can't waive your copyright (your moral rights) *ever*, only your related commercial rights (can't recall the exact term), and even for the latter you need a signed contract. (One might ponder if releasing something in Hungary under the GPL is legally valid (ie. not that it'd be a violation or anything, just null and void -- ineffective). You can't irrevocably promise not to go after your moral rights.) I suspected that something like this was in the background, but what I didn't understand was: why single out the public domain, as the GPL itself is in the exact same bucket, generally speaking. IANAL of course. Laszlo