Re: Is admin/unidata/copyright.html a free software license?

[Richard Stallman]

[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider    ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,     ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]

  > Message-ID: 
<trinity-d9ef77db-a95a-4e70-9718-ecb5c1eefa5c-1692623473557@3c-app-mailcom-bs13>
  > From: Christopher Dimech <dimech@gmx.com>
  > To: Ulrich Mueller <ulm@gentoo.org>
  > Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org, Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
  > Subject: Re: Is admin/unidata/copyright.html a free software license?
  > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
  > Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2023 15:11:13 +0200
  > Sensitivity: Normal
  > In-Reply-To: <835y58v9qi.fsf@gnu.org>


  > > Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 12:52 AM
  > > From: "Eli Zaretskii" <eliz@gnu.org>
  > > To: "Ulrich Mueller" <ulm@gentoo.org>
  > > Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org
  > > Subject: Re: Is admin/unidata/copyright.html a free software license?
  > >
  > > > From: Ulrich Mueller <ulm@gentoo.org>
  > > > Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org
  > > > Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:48:51 +0200
  > > > 
  > > > >>>>> On Mon, 21 Aug 2023, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
  > > > 
  > > > > This was indeed discussed, and the conclusion was that it's okay for
  > > > > us to distribute these files, and to distribute data based on those
  > > > > files as part of Emacs.
  > > > 
  > > > Could you point me to the previous discussion please?
  > > 
  > > No, it was not on a public forum.
  > > 
  > > > I don't disagree that these files can be distributed (at least
  > > > currently). However, merely being distributable is a much lower standard
  > > > than being free.
  > > 
  > > As you yourself say, correctly, these files contain data, not code,
  > > and the data is of the kind that hardly ever justifies copyright.
  > > 
  > > > >> I am also surprised that these lists in admin/unidata/ or, in 
general,
  > > > >> a character set can be copyrightable. (For example, everyone uses 
ASCII
  > > > >> without thinking about copyright of the underlying ANSI X3.4 
standard.
  > > > >> The same applies to several much larger CJK character sets.)
  > > > 
  > > > > So therefore why are you raising this non-issue, from your POV?
  > > > 
  > > > But is it a non-issue? Why would Unicode claim copyright for these files
  > > > if they aren't copyrightable?
  > > 
  > > I have no idea.  Feel free to ask them.
 
  > The Unicode Consortium’s data files and software are globally and freely 
licensed 
  > under the Unicode License (https://www.unicode.org/license.txt).

  > Only the Unicode Code Charts are made available under their own specific 
and narrow
  > terms and conditions.

  > >> In the latter case, the problem isn't solved, because we still have:

  > >> > | Unicode, Inc. shall have the right to modify this Agreement
  > >> > | at any time by posting it to this website.

  > It does not matter whether they have the right to modify the agreement.
  > When you get the data files and software, you use the license that was
  > given to you at the time.  Thus no problems ensue. 

I think that means we have no need to worry.


-- 
Dr Richard Stallman (https://stallman.org)
Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project (https://gnu.org)
Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)