Re: Require "this program is free software .... " notice to be preserved on the splash screen

Re: Require "this program is free software .... " notice to be preserved on the splash screen

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2021 13:48:05 +0300
> From: Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>
> Cc: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>, emacs-devel@gnu.org
> 
> * James Lu <jamtlu@gmail.com> [2021-02-13 08:13]:
> > Some distributions of Emacs, such as Spacemacs, replace Emacs' splash
> > screen with one that heeds no mention to free software. (Spacemacs includes
> > a logo of Spacemacs, a bunch of menu items, and a changelog.)
> > 
> > In order to avoid another fiasco of the sort of the GNU/Linux controversy,
> > where a variant of GNU software was called something else and disassociated
> > from free software, I propose we exercise section 7.4 of GPLv3 to require
> > "require preservation of specified reasonable legal notices or author
> > attributions in that material or in the Appropriate Legal Notices displayed
> > by works containing it"
> 
> That is right. Is the bug reported to Spacemacs? What is the reaction?

PLEASE take this discussion to emacs-tangents.

I've redirected the response there.

Re: Require "this program is free software .... " notice to be preserved on the splash screen

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Dmitry Gutov <dgutov@yandex.ru>
> Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2021 14:04:29 +0200
> Cc: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
> 
> On 11.02.2021 08:04, James Lu wrote:
> > "You may convey verbatim copies of the Program's source code as you 
> > receive it, in any medium, **provided that you conspicuously and 
> > appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice**; 
> > keep intact all notices stating that this License and any non-permissive 
> > term"
> 
> Spacemacs and similar "distributions" actually don't redistribute Emacs 
> itself. They're just collections of extensions together with 
> instructions for installing them.
> 
> So I don't think this condition can apply, legally speaking.
> 
> (IANAL, though.)

Please continue this discussion on emacs-tangents (replies redirected
there).

Re: Require "this program is free software .... " notice to be preserved on the splash screen

[Jean Louis]

* Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> [2021-02-14 09:38]:
> [[[ 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. ]]]
> 
>   > from free software, I propose we exercise section 7.4 of GPLv3 to require
>   > "require preservation of specified reasonable legal notices or author
>   > attributions in that material or in the Appropriate Legal Notices displayed
>   > by works containing it"
> 
> We cannot alter GPLv3.  We could only make a new version, and the amount of
> hassle that would involve is not worth considering for this.
> 
> Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Did person request altering of a license or excercising of section
7.4.?

I think person requested to excercise the section, not to alter the
license, due to violation of GPL.

I think it is quite valid request as Spacemacs is very dependent of
Emacs and if it is hides legal notices and references to the license
than Emacs protection has to kick in. But I have not verified if it
really does so, I will do soon.

Jean

Re: Require "this program is free software .... " notice to be preserved on the splash screen

[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. ]]]

  > Did person request altering of a license or excercising of section
  > 7.4.?

I think I misread it before.  Sorry.

Section 7.4 says it is possible to add to the license of a program
a clause saying to preserve a specific notice.  We could do that,
but I am not sure it is wise.

Let's ask the Spacemacs developers to cooperate.



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

Re: Require "this program is free software .... " notice to be preserved on the splash screen

[Jean Louis]

* Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> [2021-02-15 07:46]:
> [[[ 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. ]]]
> 
>   > Did person request altering of a license or excercising of section
>   > 7.4.?
> 
> I think I misread it before.  Sorry.
> 
> Section 7.4 says it is possible to add to the license of a program
> a clause saying to preserve a specific notice.  We could do that,
> but I am not sure it is wise.
> 
> Let's ask the Spacemacs developers to cooperate.

In this regard I have filed the bug at Github:
https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/issues/14444

with the comment below:

 gnusupport commented Mar 1, 2021

After reading the GPL, and reviewing Spacemacs, I am of the opinion that Spacemacs is not merely an aggregate, it is one full work that includes various other parts. It does not matter if parts come from various places, the whole package is there.

Review:
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#MereAggregation
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#AggregateContainers

I am proposing that authors review the section 5. about Conveying Modified Source Versions, and to see if there is need to comply to it. As it is actually a distribution of Emacs in modified form IMHO. I have not found copy of license inside. I found the reference, but the reference like GPLv3 is not enough to comply to licensing.

Please review:

    a) The work must carry prominent notices stating that you modified
    it, and giving a relevant date.

    b) The work must carry prominent notices stating that it is
    released under this License and any conditions added under section
    7.  This requirement modifies the requirement in section 4 to
    "keep intact all notices".

    c) You must license the entire work, as a whole, under this
    License to anyone who comes into possession of a copy.  This
    License will therefore apply, along with any applicable section 7
    additional terms, to the whole of the work, and all its parts,
    regardless of how they are packaged.  This License gives no
    permission to license the work in any other way, but it does not
    invalidate such permission if you have separately received it.

    d) If the work has interactive user interfaces, each must display
    Appropriate Legal Notices; however, if the Program has interactive
    interfaces that do not display Appropriate Legal Notices, your
    work need not make them do so.