Bug#596844: perl: Text::Tabs might have a non-DFSG-free license

[Niko Tyni]

On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 02:18:15PM +0000, v.nix.is wrote:
> Package: perl
> Version: 5.10.1-14
> Severity: normal
> Tags: upstream
> 
> Text::Tabs which is shipped with both upstream perl and the Debian
> version has this license, (highlight by me):
> 
>    Copyright (C) 1996-2002,2005,2006 David Muir Sharnoff.  Copyright
>    (C) 2005 Aristotle Pagaltzis This module may be modified, used,
>    copied, and redistributed at your own risk. __Publicly
>    redistributed modified versions must use a different name__.
> 
> It seems that the license forbids any downstream patches without
> changing the name, 

Quoting DFSG #4:
  
  [...] The license may require derived works to carry a different name or
  version number from the original software. (This is a compromise. The
  Debian group encourages all authors not to restrict any files, source
  or binary, from being modified.)

> so this situation seems very similar to what Debian
> has with Firefox, where the name has been changed to Iceweasel to work
> around such a clause.

I believe the Iceweasel rename was done primarily because the Firefox
logos were non-free, which made it necessary for Debian to modify the
software in such a way that it couldn't be called Firefox anymore.

Anyway, this does not seem to be a DFSG violation. The license should
certainly be listed in debian/copyright though. I'll add it for the
next upload. Please let me know if you have further concerns or if I
can close this bug at that point.
-- 
Niko Tyni   ntyni at debian.org