[infrastructure] [bug] Licensing issue

Issue status update for
http://drupal.org/node/335812
Post a follow up:
http://drupal.org/comment/reply/335812#comment-form

Project: Drupal.org infrastructure
Component: Other
Category: bug report
Priority: normal
Assigned to: Anonymous
Status: active
Reported by: fgm
Updated by: fgm

Done, I've written him and BCC'ed you, asking him to join us and confirm
the license on his class.

fgm

Original issue:
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 13:18 : fgm

The newly publishde barcode module ( http://drupal.org/project/barcode
[1] ) includes the Arialbd.ttf file, but although it is very popular,
this is not a free font. It is under the Monotype copyright and could
land its author and d.o. some legal problems.

[1] http://drupal.org/project/barcode

Previous comments (5):
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#1 -- Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 13:24 : fgm
http://drupal.org/node/335812#comment-1113800

Also, I noticed that the original barcode class by Harish Chauhan has
been published as "freeware" (
http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/package/2441.html [2] ) , not GPL2. It
*think* this should be compatible, but this might need to be checked
too.

[2] http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/package/2441.html
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#2 -- Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 20:50 : killes@www.drop.org
http://drupal.org/node/335812#comment-1114490

It appears that somebody pointed this out to the author and he removed
the arial ttf from cvs, I've also removed it from the server.

I am not sure how to interpret "freeware".

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#3 -- Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 21:29 : fgm
http://drupal.org/node/335812#comment-1114563

I think the best avenue would be for the author to obtain an actual
message from the original author of that file granting a GPL2 and later
license. AFAIK the GPL should be valid under indian law, so it would be
even better for him.

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#4 -- Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 22:47 : killes@www.drop.org
http://drupal.org/node/335812#comment-1114676

I agree, fgm can you contact the contributor and ask him to get this
permission from the original author?

------------------------------------------------------------------------
#5 -- Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 04:18 : Crell
http://drupal.org/node/335812#comment-1115272

"Freeware" is not GPL-compatible. The conventional interpretation of
that term as far as I am aware is "proprietary but no charge". That is
not GPL compatible.

The module author would need to include a statement from the original
author in CVS releasing the module under the GPL, or a GPL-compatible
license (eg, BSD). Whether or not we'll allow it in CVS as a 3rd party
bit of code in the first place I leave to killes.

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