Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2025 07:36:56 +0000 From: bugzilla-noreply@freebsd.org To: bugs@FreeBSD.org Subject: [Bug 284783] Potential licensing issue of source file 'sys/cam/scsi/scsi_all.h' Message-ID: <bug-284783-227@https.bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/>
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https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=3D284783 Bug ID: 284783 Summary: Potential licensing issue of source file 'sys/cam/scsi/scsi_all.h' Product: Base System Version: CURRENT Hardware: Any OS: Any Status: New Severity: Affects Only Me Priority: --- Component: kern Assignee: bugs@FreeBSD.org Reporter: msl0000023508@gmail.com When trying to add my ported mfiutil package to Debian, which depends on a small fraction of this file, a Debian FTP Master member pointed out that its license did not explicitly greated the redistribution permission to general public. The license text as of https://cgit.freebsd.org/src/tree/sys/cam/scsi/scsi_all.h?id=3D2ffd30f7ee15= c87ee092cbac6a4438bcb3af923c is: /*- * Largely written by Julian Elischer (julian@tfs.com) * for TRW Financial Systems. * * TRW Financial Systems, in accordance with their agreement with Carnegie * Mellon University, makes this software available to CMU to distribute * or use in any manner that they see fit as long as this message is kept w= ith * the software. For this reason TFS also grants any other persons or * organisations permission to use or modify this software. * * TFS supplies this software to be publicly redistributed * on the understanding that TFS is not responsible for the correct * functioning of this software in any circumstances. * * Ported to run under 386BSD by Julian Elischer (julian@tfs.com) Sept 1992 */ Reference to Debian FTP Master member Thorsten Alteholz's interpretation: > according to the TFS-CMU license, the copyright holder (TRW) only allows = CMU to > redistribute this software.=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20= =20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20 > "Any other persons" are only allowed to use or modify it and especially D= ebian is > not allowed to redistribute it. Given the ambiguity of the license text, this interpretation reasonable. I believe when the license is written, the copyrighit holder didn't intende= d to prohibit redistribution of this software by 3rd parties; but with this unfortunate wording, it is unclear whether redistribution it is actually permitted. I'm aware that this license is really old (likely be earlier than Sept 1992= as hinted by the last line), but is it possible to get it clearified somehow? --=20 You are receiving this mail because: You are the assignee for the bug.=
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