Package: ghostscript
Version: 9.19~dfsg-1+b1
Severity: serious
Justification: Policy 2.2.1

Hello,
I noticed that two files included in the ghostscript source package
are documented in the debian/copyright file as distributed under
the terms of a non-free Unicode license.

The two files are:

  Files: base/ConvertUTF.c
   base/ConvertUTF.h
  Copyright: 2001-2004, Unicode, Inc
  License: Unicode

and the license text is claimed to be:

  License: Unicode
   This source code is provided as is by Unicode, Inc. No claims are made
   as to fitness for any particular purpose. No warranties of any kind are
   expressed or implied. The recipient agrees to determine applicability
   of information provided. If this file has been purchased on magnetic or
   optical media from Unicode, Inc., the sole remedy for any claim will be
   exchange of defective media within 90 days of receipt.
   .
   Limitations on Rights to Redistribute This Code
   .
   Unicode, Inc. hereby grants the right to freely use the information
   supplied in this file in the creation of products supporting the
   Unicode Standard, and to make copies of this file in any form for
   internal or external distribution as long as this notice remains
   attached.

At the very least, this license does not grant any permission
to modify the files (thus failing DFSG#3). Moreover, the license grant
seems to attempt to restrict use to "products supporting the Unicode
Standard" (thus failing DFSG#6).
See also
https://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2015/12/msg00000.html
where an FTP Assitant confirmed that files which restrict "use to
only that of implementing a standard" are not fit for Debian main.

Therefore, the two files under discussion appear to be non-free.

However, this issue could possibly be easy to solve.
If Unicode Inc has published new versions of the two files in
more recent times, the updated versions should be under the
current unicode.org public license, as explained in
http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html#Exhibit1

Please check whether newer versions of those files are released
in one of the Unicode web site areas mentioned in the cited Exhibit1.
The newer versions could perhaps be used as replacements for the
non-free ones.

I hope this issue may be addressed soon.
Thanks for your time!

Bye.

Reply via email to