Portions of GCC are distributed under the following license:
====================================================
Copyright (C) 1993 by Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Developed at SunPro, a Sun Microsystems, Inc. business.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this
software is freely granted, provided that this notice
is preserved.
====================================================
However, this notice does not seem to exist anywhere in binary distributions. I suspect the *intent* was similar to a BSD-style license, and my impression is that corporate lawyers tend to argue for that interpretation; i.e. "preserved" means that the notice is present somewhere in derivative works. Upstream, however, seems to feel that the notice is "preserved" because it hasn't been removed from the source file, i.e. it is *not* necessary to include the notice in binary distributions or other derived works.
If I ship compiled code which includes code under the above license, what are my obligations? Do I need to include the above notice? Can I omit it entirely? Something else?
(See also https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2353932.)
Dear legal list,
I just filed
https://gitlab.com/fedora/legal/fedora-license-data/-/issues/640
requesting review request for 7zip's license.
TL;DR - this is blocking the review of 7zip, which we want to have as a
replacement for p7zip which is dead upstream (and is needed by e.g. the
Fedora Asahi Remix)
The specific worry is
- the language dedicating this to the public domain is very spartan
(all of them are one-liners, see the issue)
- some of these are done by other people and not the main project
author, with no reference to where the sources are obtained from
Related question: as I understand it public domain dedications have to
be vetted before use, but where is this requirement documented? e.g.
https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/legal/license-approval/#_overview
does not specifically mention a special process for LicenseRef-Fedora-
Public-Domain.
Thanks,
--
_o) Michel Lind
_( ) identities:
https://keyoxide.org/5dce2e7e9c3b1cffd335c1d78b229d2f7ccc04f2
README: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Salimma#README
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Dario Presutti <dario(a)fsfe.org>
Date: Thu, Mar 13, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Subject: Invitation from FSFE to Online Q&A Session about DMA & Free Software
To: <rfontana(a)redhat.com>
Cc: Lucas Lasota <lucas.lasota(a)fsfe.org>
Dear Richard,
I hope this email finds you well.
My name is Dario, and I am a project manager at the Free Software
Foundation Europe (FSFE).
I received your contact from Matthias Kirschner - pleased to e-meet you!
I am reaching out because my colleague Lucas (CC’d) and I are actively
working
on the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and its
implications for
Free Software. Recently, we have received many questions from other Free
Software
organisations regarding this topic. To address these, at the FSFE, we
have decided
to host an online Q&A session specifically for representatives of FOSS
organisations,
We would be delighted if you could participate. We would also
appreciated if you
could post this invitation to the Fedora Legal Mailing List
(https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/legal/)
because we think this might be of interest. Below, you’ll find key
details about
the event. Thank you in advance!
---
# Online Q&A session – DMA & Free Software: what Free Software
organisations need to know
Date: 24 March 2025
Time: 17:30 CET
Location: Online (FSFE’s instance)
Registration required:
https://share.fsfe.org/apps/forms/s/riaMwgdMcgTnpHTTX3g92bkk
As you may already know, the DMA is a landmark regulation by the
European Union,
designed to limit the power of large technology companies acting as
“gatekeepers”
and to foster fairer competition. Among its key provisions, the DMA
establishes
obligations for these dominant platforms, including the right to install
and
uninstall software freely, access to third-party app stores, and enhanced
interoperability measures. These provisions have the potential to create
new
opportunities for Free Software development, distribution, and adoption.
This session will provide Free Software organisation representatives
the opportunity to:
- Gain a deeper understanding of how the DMA’s enforcement impacts
the Free
Software ecosystem and the FSFE’s role in this process
- Learn about FSFE’s legal efforts, including its ongoing litigation
against
Apple at the Court of Justice of the European Union. (If you
attended FOSDEM,
you may have seen FSFE Legal Programme Manager Lucas Lasota’s
keynote on this topic [1])
- Engage directly with the FSFE team working on these issues.
Event page: https://fsfe.org/news/2025/news-20250306-01.en.html
----
If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t
hesitate to reach out!
Thank you again.
Best regards,
Dario
[1]
https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-5084-how-we-are-defendin…
--
Dario Presutti (he/him/none) | Project Manager
Free Software Foundation Europe e.V.
Schönhauser Allee 6/7, 10119 Berlin, Germany
Matrix: @dario:fsfe.org | Email: dario(a)fsfe.org