bug#28193: tome4 tiles are nonfree?

bug#28193: tome4 tiles are nonfree?

[Christopher Allan Webber]

I was excited to see tome4 packaged for Guix since that game is
*incredible*.  However, I'm not totally sure about the music, but as for
the tiles, there's this message in tome4's COPYING-MEDIA which says:

  All the medias located in all the "/data/gfx" folders are granted to
  use with the Tales of Maj'Eyal game only.

  Please contact darkgod@te4.org for more informations.

It seems to me that we will have to strip these out.  It's a shame,
because it's a really beautiful tileset which adds a lot of atmosphere.
I think the game is still playable in ascii mode, though I haven't tried
doing it.

Sorry to be a downer...

bug#28193: tome4 tiles are nonfree?

[Mark H Weaver]

Hi Chris,

Christopher Allan Webber <cwebber@dustycloud.org> writes:

> I was excited to see tome4 packaged for Guix since that game is
> *incredible*.  However, I'm not totally sure about the music, but as for
> the tiles, there's this message in tome4's COPYING-MEDIA which says:
>
>   All the medias located in all the "/data/gfx" folders are granted to
>   use with the Tales of Maj'Eyal game only.
>
>   Please contact darkgod@te4.org for more informations.
>
> It seems to me that we will have to strip these out.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.  The GNU FSDG requirements
for non-functional data are relatively permissive:

  Non-functional Data
  
  Data that isn't functional, that doesn't do a practical job, is more
  of an adornment to the system's software than a part of it.  Thus, we
  don't insist on the free license criteria for non-functional data.  It
  can be included in a free system distribution as long as its license
  gives you permission to copy and redistribute, both for commercial and
  non-commercial purposes.  For example, some game engines released
  under the GNU GPL have accompanying game information—a fictional world
  map, game graphics, and so on—released under such a
  verbatim-distribution license.  This kind of data can be part of a
  free system distribution, even though its license does not qualify as
  free, because it is non-functional.

  https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html#non-functional-data

I cannot tell from the text above whether restricting the use of game
graphics to a particular game is permitted by the GNU FSDG.  I think we
should ask for clarification from the gnu-linux-libre@nongnu.org mailing
list.  Would you be willing to ask?

      Mark

bug#28193: tome4 tiles are nonfree?

[Christopher Allan Webber]

Mark H Weaver writes:

> Hi Chris,
>
> Christopher Allan Webber <cwebber@dustycloud.org> writes:
>
>> I was excited to see tome4 packaged for Guix since that game is
>> *incredible*.  However, I'm not totally sure about the music, but as for
>> the tiles, there's this message in tome4's COPYING-MEDIA which says:
>>
>>   All the medias located in all the "/data/gfx" folders are granted to
>>   use with the Tales of Maj'Eyal game only.
>>
>>   Please contact darkgod@te4.org for more informations.
>>
>> It seems to me that we will have to strip these out.
>
> Thanks for bringing this to our attention.  The GNU FSDG requirements
> for non-functional data are relatively permissive:
>
>   Non-functional Data
>   
>   Data that isn't functional, that doesn't do a practical job, is more
>   of an adornment to the system's software than a part of it.  Thus, we
>   don't insist on the free license criteria for non-functional data.  It
>   can be included in a free system distribution as long as its license
>   gives you permission to copy and redistribute, both for commercial and
>   non-commercial purposes.  For example, some game engines released
>   under the GNU GPL have accompanying game information—a fictional world
>   map, game graphics, and so on—released under such a
>   verbatim-distribution license.  This kind of data can be part of a
>   free system distribution, even though its license does not qualify as
>   free, because it is non-functional.
>
>   https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html#non-functional-data

Oh, I didn't realize that.

> I cannot tell from the text above whether restricting the use of game
> graphics to a particular game is permitted by the GNU FSDG.  I think we
> should ask for clarification from the gnu-linux-libre@nongnu.org mailing
> list.  Would you be willing to ask?
>
>       Mark

Sure, I can ask.

bug#28193: tome4 tiles are nonfree?

[Christopher Allan Webber]

Christopher Allan Webber writes:

>> Thanks for bringing this to our attention.  The GNU FSDG requirements
>> for non-functional data are relatively permissive:
>>
>>   Non-functional Data
>>   
>>   Data that isn't functional, that doesn't do a practical job, is more
>>   of an adornment to the system's software than a part of it.  Thus, we
>>   don't insist on the free license criteria for non-functional data.  It
>>   can be included in a free system distribution as long as its license
>>   gives you permission to copy and redistribute, both for commercial and
>>   non-commercial purposes.  For example, some game engines released
>>   under the GNU GPL have accompanying game information—a fictional world
>>   map, game graphics, and so on—released under such a
>>   verbatim-distribution license.  This kind of data can be part of a
>>   free system distribution, even though its license does not qualify as
>>   free, because it is non-functional.
>>
>>   https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html#non-functional-data
>
> Oh, I didn't realize that.
>
>> I cannot tell from the text above whether restricting the use of game
>> graphics to a particular game is permitted by the GNU FSDG.  I think we
>> should ask for clarification from the gnu-linux-libre@nongnu.org mailing
>> list.  Would you be willing to ask?
>>
>>       Mark
>
> Sure, I can ask.

I haven't heard anything back.  I'm assuming it's probably fine, given
the FSDG quoted above.  Closing!

bug#28193: tome4 tiles are nonfree?

[Quiliro Ordonez Baca]

Mark H Weaver <mhw@netris.org> writes:

> Hi Chris,
>
> Christopher Allan Webber <cwebber@dustycloud.org> writes:
>
>> I was excited to see tome4 packaged for Guix since that game is
>> *incredible*.  However, I'm not totally sure about the music, but as for
>> the tiles, there's this message in tome4's COPYING-MEDIA which says:
>>
>>   All the medias located in all the "/data/gfx" folders are granted to
>>   use with the Tales of Maj'Eyal game only.
>>
>>   Please contact darkgod@te4.org for more informations.
>>
>> It seems to me that we will have to strip these out.
>
> Thanks for bringing this to our attention.  The GNU FSDG requirements
> for non-functional data are relatively permissive:
>
>   Non-functional Data
>   
>   Data that isn't functional, that doesn't do a practical job, is more
>   of an adornment to the system's software than a part of it.  Thus, we
>   don't insist on the free license criteria for non-functional data.  It
>   can be included in a free system distribution as long as its license
>   gives you permission to copy and redistribute, both for commercial and
>   non-commercial purposes.  For example, some game engines released
>   under the GNU GPL have accompanying game information—a fictional world
>   map, game graphics, and so on—released under such a
>   verbatim-distribution license.  This kind of data can be part of a
>   free system distribution, even though its license does not qualify as
>   free, because it is non-functional.
>
>   https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html#non-functional-data
>
> I cannot tell from the text above whether restricting the use of game
> graphics to a particular game is permitted by the GNU FSDG.  I think we
> should ask for clarification from the gnu-linux-libre@nongnu.org mailing
> list.  Would you be willing to ask?
>
>       Mark

Thank you both for commenting and reporting this issue. Freedom is an
essential part of our foundations.

Distribution linked to some software does not allow practical freedom to
copy. Copying as you wish is essential on all works of art. It is not a
modification. Nevertheless, I cannot assure if it goes against FSDG.

Perhaps I have little experience with Scheme. So I cannot help very much
with the packaging. But I can find someone to help me with the art. Is
it something that requires a lot of work to do?