[gNewSense-users] COPYING file

[Brian Kemp]

iirc Debian has complained about how you can't change the GPL. You can
change the COPYING file all you wish--but you can't change the content
of the GPL.

To be honest, I wouldn't *want* someone to change the GPL, because
then it's not the GPL, and when one says "GPL" everyone knows what
license is being referred to.

Changing the GPL would make a different license. At that point one
should start from the beginning.

Proposed resolution? I suggest that it doesn't matter.

COPYING is not code, it's metadata, so the file's "freeness" doesn't
come into play.

(This may or may not apply to other such documents. Let's handle them
on a case by case basis.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The file COPYING containing the GPL (like in
http://wiki.gnewsense.org/Kernel/Ubuntu-hardy-linux-ubuntu-modules-2-6-24-16-23--ubuntu--sound--alsa-driver)
is in the strictest sense non-free. Right at the top it says:

"... but changing it is not allowed."

Obviously, we don't want to remove it, because the GPL requires that we
provide a copy of the license. Also, it's a legal document describing
the terms of use and distribution of the source code, so it shouldn't
(mustn't) be changed.

Two questions:
1) How do we mark it in the wiki for KFV?
2) For what other files do we need exceptions in the freedom
verification process and how can we put that into the KFV flow?