[Bug-jwhois] Bug#708956: Bug#708956: [jwhois] GFDL non free license

[Mathieu Lirzin]

Yuan-Chen Cheng <address@hidden> writes:

> Hi, I write a email to address@hidden last week but get no reply.
>
> Shall we just remove those two file from the install list and live
> with that ?
>
> I am interested to provide patch to do that if that’s the possible and
> legal way to do.
>
> thanks, YC
>

Hello,

IIUC correctly the issue is that the license notice in Jwhois 4.0 manual is

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.  A copy of the
license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
License.''

(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
this GNU Manual, like GNU software.  Copies published by the Free
Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

which requires the FSF back-cover text.  Without this requirement the
manual could be distributed as in Debian main.  Like what is done with
GNU Automake manual which license is:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover texts,
and with no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the
section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

So to recap the situation, as a recent Jwhois contributor I have already
modified (in the development repository) the license of Jwhois to match
the one from Automake.  I will check with the FSF if they are OK with
that.

As one may have notice Jwhois 4.0 is really old, and I intend to make a
new release in the following months if Jwhois maintainer agrees.  When
that is done I think Jwhois will be ready to reintegrate Debian main.

Can someone confirm that I understand the issue correctly?

Thanks.

-- 
Mathieu Lirzin