[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 5788aaadff50c5f29290cf7aa5d32c3932cd7e1f Author: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> AuthorDate: Mon Apr 29 10:35:13 2024 + Commit: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> CommitDate: Mon Apr 29 18:34:09 2024 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=5788aaad general-concepts/licenses: Licenses must be plain text Historically we had some PDF files in the repository, but the last of them was removed in 2011. Signed-off-by: Ulrich Müller gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 10 +- 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 182cfb6..939b429 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -230,11 +230,11 @@ indicates GPL-2+ license: -If your package's license is not already in the tree, you must add the -license before committing the package. When adding the license, use a -plain text file (UTF-8 encoded) if at all possible. Some licenses are -PDF files rather than plain text this should only be done if we -are legally required to do so. +If your package's license is not already in the tree, you must add the license +before committing the package. When adding the license, use a plain text file +(UTF-8 encoded), because non-text files +do not belong +in the repository. Finally you need to check if your license should be added to a license group as listed in the repository's profiles/license_groups file. For more information see
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: bf32e5008694b6fddf4708ff22555a656972ff6e Author: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> AuthorDate: Mon Nov 20 20:04:43 2023 + Commit: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> CommitDate: Sat Nov 25 09:29:59 2023 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=bf32e500 general-concepts/licenses: The main license should be listed first Signed-off-by: Ulrich Müller gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 3 ++- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 1e6b918..a9fb702 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ match files existing in the repository's licenses/ directory. The value of this variable should include all licenses pertaining to the "corresponding source" of the files installed by the package. This includes all their source code, but also all scripts used to control compilation and -installation. +installation. If the package has a "main license" i.e. a license covering +most of its files then this should be listed first.
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 4a74d85757e446a1d5e755cc3c3e7eae69762b1c Author: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> AuthorDate: Sat Feb 6 12:32:25 2021 + Commit: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> CommitDate: Sat Feb 13 09:40:10 2021 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=4a74d857 general-concepts/licenses: LICENSE should include build scripts By the FSF's definition (see for example GPL-3): "The 'Corresponding Source' for a work in object code form means all the source code needed to generate, install, and (for an executable work) run the object code and to modify the work, including scripts to control those activities." It makes much sense to apply this as a general definition. Applying it only to GPL licensed packages would mean: - We would need another case distinction, making the rules for LICENSE even more complicated. - As an example, consider a MIT licensed package with a CDDL licensed (i.e., GPL incompatible) build script: If that package was a library, then it couldn't be linked against a GPL licensed package, whereas a LICENSE variable listing only MIT would falsely indicate that it could. Reported-By: John Helmert III posteo.net> Signed-off-by: Ulrich Müller gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 20 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 7f600c4..2153a39 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -11,10 +11,16 @@ match files existing in the repository's licenses/ directory. -The value of this variable should include all licenses pertaining -to the files installed by the package. If some parts of the package -are installed only conditionally, or their license depends on the USE -flag combination, you can use USE conditionals in LICENSE: +The value of this variable should include all licenses pertaining to the +"corresponding source" of the files installed by the package. This includes +all their source code, but also all scripts used to control compilation and +installation. + + + +If some parts of the package are installed only conditionally, or their +license depends on the USE flag combination, you can use USE conditionals +in LICENSE: @@ -22,10 +28,8 @@ LICENSE="LGPL-2.1+ tools? ( GPL-2+ )" -If the package sources include additional files that are not installed, -their license should not be listed. However, if those files are used -at build time, then the license must not impose any restrictions that -could prevent users from building the software. +If the package sources include additional files that are neither installed +nor used at build time, their license should not be listed.
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 154ec2ccfa56445a518c2736851fd1573ecbec2a Author: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> AuthorDate: Tue Apr 7 07:59:27 2020 + Commit: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> CommitDate: Wed May 6 14:22:05 2020 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=154ec2cc general-concepts/licenses: Mention the SPDX list and its caveats. Signed-off-by: Ulrich Müller gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 9 + 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 24c9f02..9e3bb6d 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -239,6 +239,15 @@ only do so if the license could be considered 'questionable' or if you are unsure as to the meaning of any part of it. + +When adding a new license, it should be checked whether there is an established +name in the https://spdx.org/licenses/";>SPDX license list. +However, Gentoo does not consider the Software Package Data Exchange to be an +authoritative standard, so we may sometimes deviate from it, e.g., if their +"short identifier" is excessively long. Also, we generally don't rename our +existing identifiers. + +
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 6f2153b78f73b2fba8148d511e361c9dfa1cad59 Author: Robin H. Johnson gentoo org> AuthorDate: Tue Apr 7 20:34:12 2020 + Commit: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> CommitDate: Wed May 6 14:27:35 2020 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=6f2153b7 general-concepts/licenses: GitHub license API might be incomplete Closes: https://github.com/gentoo/devmanual/pull/166 Signed-off-by: Robin H. Johnson gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Ulrich Müller gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 9 ++--- 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 9e3bb6d..7f600c4 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -82,9 +82,12 @@ Some EULAs may also require the user to fetch distfiles manually, in which case -Do not trust the license indicated by GitHub or other sites that use -automation to guess the license! The information presented may be -incomplete and/or incorrect. +Do not trust the license indicated by GitHub or other sites that use automation +to guess the license! The information presented may be incomplete and/or +incorrect. The +https://developer.github.com/v3/licenses/#get-the-contents-of-a-repositorys-license";> +GitHub License API for example can only return a single license for a +given repository.
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 820ce06e42960dcf77844c01b32a042d1f531070 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Wed Sep 4 05:28:54 2019 + Commit: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> CommitDate: Tue Jan 14 08:41:08 2020 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=820ce06e general-concepts/licenses: Add 'Further reading' subsection Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Ulrich Müller gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 26 ++ 1 file changed, 26 insertions(+) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 94ad420..24c9f02 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -239,6 +239,32 @@ only do so if the license could be considered 'questionable' or if you are unsure as to the meaning of any part of it. + + + + +Further reading + + + +The following resources are recommended as source of more information +on copyright and licensing: + + + + +https://dwheeler.com/essays/floss-license-slide.html";> + David A. Wheeler, The Free-Libre / Open Source Software (FLOSS) + License Slide + + + +https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-compatibility.en.html";> + Richard Stallman, License Compatibility and Relicensing + + + +
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: be80788debfcc0035e9d014956763871fd5df287 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Mon Sep 9 08:52:47 2019 + Commit: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo org> CommitDate: Thu Dec 26 23:52:22 2019 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=be80788d general-concepts/licenses: Add a section on upstream license problems (The submission is subjected to further editing by the committer) Closes: https://github.com/gentoo/devmanual/pull/109 Acked-by: Ulrich Müller gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 61 ++ 1 file changed, 56 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index d37456c..94ad420 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -127,14 +127,65 @@ ought to have all-rights-reserved license, and RESTRICT="bindist mirror". + + + + +Detecting upstream license problems + + -Please watch for license conflicts. If the license indicated -by the package is incompatible with the licenses used by its sources -(e.g. BSD/MIT package including GPL sources), please contact -the licenses team for guidance. Do not add packages that seem -to include license term violations. +Please watch out for upstream licensing problems and report them +upstream. +You may ask the Gentoo licenses team for guidance. In general, it is +preferable to wait for upstream to resolve the issue and release a new +version. Do not add packages that seem to include license term +violations! + +Common license problems include but are not limited to: + + + + + + Including third party code without appropriate copyright notices. + Practically all licenses (with notable exception of public + domain-alike) require attribution, and some require copying + original copyright notices verbatim. + + + + + Combining incompatible licenses. When you are combining multiple + files using different licenses into a single executable, those + licenses need to be compatible. For example, it is not possible + to combine proprietary code with copyleft licenses (e.g. GPL). + It is also incorrect to combine GPL-2 (only) and GPL-3 code. + + + + + Dynamically linking incompatible executables. Arguably, some + licenses also apply restriction on dynamic linking between + executables and shared libraries. For example, normally you can't + link GPL executables with OpenSSL. The same restriction does not + apply to LGPL, and some projects are adding specific linking + exceptions to their GPL usage. + + + + + Wrong or incomplete license information about a project. Upstream + may indicate the wrong effective license for a project (e.g. + in README. For example, upstream may indicate that the project + is licensed as GPL-2+ while some of the source code files use + GPL-3+ license. + + + +
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 6e513443da0103b0c849449af124e1cd7173f412 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Sun Sep 8 17:43:56 2019 + Commit: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo org> CommitDate: Wed Oct 16 18:48:36 2019 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=6e513443 general-concepts/licenses: all-rights-reserved default, restricts Add a paragraph on applicable restrictions per license terms. Also clearly indicate that sources with no license are all-rights-reserved. Acked-by: Michael Orlitzky gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 22 +++--- 1 file changed, 19 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 86ffc8d..f7e904e 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -25,9 +25,7 @@ LICENSE="LGPL-2.1+ tools? ( GPL-2+ )" If the package sources include additional files that are not installed, their license should not be listed. However, if those files are used at build time, then the license must not impose any restrictions that -could prevent users from building the software. Please also note -that some licenses may impose additional restrictons, e.g. fetch -and/or mirroring restriction. +could prevent users from building the software. @@ -39,6 +37,16 @@ be used) then use the following syntax: LICENSE="|| ( foo bar )" + +If the license of a package does not explicitly permit redistributing +distfiles found in SRC_URI, the corresponding ebuilds must have +RESTRICT=mirror. If the license does not permit distributing +Gentoo binary packages built from the source, the ebuilds should have +RESTRICT=bindist. Some EULAs may also require the user to fetch +distfiles manually, in which case RESTRICT=fetch is necessary. +Note that RESTRICT=fetch implies RESTRICT=mirror. + + Determining the correct license @@ -81,6 +89,14 @@ of applicable licenses but the exact application of licenses and their versions are specified elsewhere. + +If the package does not indicate any license, then you should contact +the author for clarification. Adding packages with no explicit license +statement is strongly discouraged. If they are present already, they +ought to have all-rights-reserved license, +and RESTRICT="bindist mirror". + + Please watch for license conflicts. If the license indicated by the package is incompatible with the licenses used by its sources
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: b939305296bcd7ec9b0e5bec180a7c60220ca803 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Mon Sep 23 08:29:31 2019 + Commit: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo org> CommitDate: Wed Oct 16 18:48:46 2019 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=b9393052 general-concepts/licenses: Expand the section on restrictions Closes: https://github.com/gentoo/devmanual.gentoo.org/pull/108 Acked-by: Michael Orlitzky gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 43 +++--- 1 file changed, 36 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index f7e904e..2e1a268 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -37,16 +37,45 @@ be used) then use the following syntax: LICENSE="|| ( foo bar )" + +License-implied restrictions + + + +Non-free licenses may impose additional restrictions that need to be stated +in the ebuild. In order to identify such restrictions correctly, it is necessary +to analyze relevant license(s) and determine applicable clauses based +on the files contained in upstream packages. Note that upstreams may use +the same license for multiple products, with some restrictions not being +applicable to the ebuild in question. + + -If the license of a package does not explicitly permit redistributing -distfiles found in SRC_URI, the corresponding ebuilds must have -RESTRICT=mirror. If the license does not permit distributing -Gentoo binary packages built from the source, the ebuilds should have -RESTRICT=bindist. Some EULAs may also require the user to fetch -distfiles manually, in which case RESTRICT=fetch is necessary. -Note that RESTRICT=fetch implies RESTRICT=mirror. +If the license of a package does not explicitly permit redistributing distfiles +found in SRC_URI, the corresponding ebuilds must have +RESTRICT=mirror to prevent the affected files from being copied to Gentoo +mirrors. In some cases, the license permits redistributing unmodified original +archives only in that case, SRC_URI must not contain modified +or repackaged upstream archives, and all changes must be applied via patching +in appropriate ebuild phases. + +If the license does not permit distributing Gentoo binary packages built using +the ebuild, with or without source modifications, it must have +RESTRICT=bindist. This is also the case if restrictions are set based +on the cost of redistribution (e.g. the license prohibits selling the product). + + + +Some EULAs may also require the user to fetch distfiles manually, in which case +RESTRICT=fetch is necessary. Note that RESTRICT=fetch implies +RESTRICT=mirror. + + + + + Determining the correct license
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: c87c36a654840d2885f2f26a6f7fac65e6c5e2bf Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Sun Sep 8 17:25:14 2019 + Commit: Ulrich Müller gentoo org> CommitDate: Sun Sep 8 17:55:09 2019 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=c87c36a6 general-concepts/licenses: Use sections instead of subsections Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Ulrich Müller gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 12 ++-- 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index c647871..86ffc8d 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ be used) then use the following syntax: LICENSE="|| ( foo bar )" - + Determining the correct license @@ -90,9 +90,9 @@ to include license term violations. - + - + GPL-x vs GPL-x+ @@ -118,9 +118,9 @@ indicates GPL-2+ license: - + - + Adding New Licenses @@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ you are unsure as to the meaning of any part of it. - +
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 8ad5c097240eadd919146ffdab6c55ee6175f719 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Wed Nov 28 09:33:57 2018 + Commit: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo org> CommitDate: Thu Dec 20 04:55:36 2018 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=8ad5c097 general-concepts/licenses: warn about GitHub license guesser Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 6 ++ 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index aa2ca74..c647871 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -43,6 +43,12 @@ LICENSE="|| ( foo bar )" Determining the correct license + +Do not trust the license indicated by GitHub or other sites that use +automation to guess the license! The information presented may be +incomplete and/or incorrect. + + To establish the correct value of LICENSE, you need to trace the licenses of all installed files. Normally, the licenses of output
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 4aee878793ba33740866cc763f341db5531cbf09 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Wed Nov 28 09:23:45 2018 + Commit: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo org> CommitDate: Thu Dec 20 04:55:30 2018 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=4aee8787 general-concepts/licenses: Warn about GPL-n+ etc. Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 28 1 file changed, 28 insertions(+) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index f1d5299..aa2ca74 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -86,6 +86,34 @@ to include license term violations. + +GPL-x vs GPL-x+ + + + +FSF licenses (GPL, LGPL, AGPL, FDL) occur in two variants: the 'vN only' +and 'vN or later' variants. In Gentoo, the licenses of the latter variants +are denoted by appending +a plus sign (+) to their respective license notations of the former variant, +e.g. GPL-2+ and GPL-2. + + + +Determining the correct variant usually requires looking for copyright +notices in the code. For example, the following copyright notice +indicates GPL-2+ license: + + + + * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or + * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as + * published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of + * the License, or (at your option) any later version. + + + + + Adding New Licenses
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 94bf0f8865a91dfdf5b0a847f667f361b8e66b09 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Wed Nov 28 08:54:22 2018 + Commit: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo org> CommitDate: Thu Dec 20 04:55:07 2018 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=94bf0f88 general-concepts/licenses: make it clear that multiple can be listed The previous wording was kinda weird, suggesting the variable is a filename, rather than dep-style. Reword it to make it clear that multiple values can be used. Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 612b1a6..4c4ce62 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ All ebuilds must specify a LICENSE (note the American English -spelling) variable. The value of this variable must be the name of a -file in the Gentoo repository's licenses/ directory. +spelling) variable. The license names listed in this variable must +match files existing in the repository's licenses/ directory.
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 0f723044723689a7b05777cb8044558769c3d388 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Wed Nov 28 09:00:40 2018 + Commit: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo org> CommitDate: Thu Dec 20 04:55:14 2018 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=0f723044 general-concepts/licenses: Explain which licenses go into LICENSE Explain which licenses go into LICENSE and which don't Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 20 1 file changed, 20 insertions(+) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 4c4ce62..093fd9e 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -10,6 +10,26 @@ spelling) variable. The license names listed in this variable must match files existing in the repository's licenses/ directory. + +The value of this variable should include all licenses pertaining +to the files installed by the package. If some parts of the package +are installed only conditionally, or their license depends on the USE +flag combination, you can use USE conditionals in LICENSE: + + + +LICENSE="LGPL-2.1+ tools? ( GPL-2+ )" + + + +If the package sources include additional files that are not installed, +their license should not be listed. However, if those files are used +at build time, then the license must not impose any restrictions that +could prevent users from building the software. Please also note +that some licenses may impose additional restrictons, e.g. fetch +and/or mirroring restriction. + + If the application is multi-license (either of several licenses can be used) then use the following syntax:
[gentoo-commits] proj/devmanual:master commit in: general-concepts/licenses/
commit: 2c4f7fcc5d3c0856660567aac7489a3a5f8c5343 Author: Michał Górny gentoo org> AuthorDate: Wed Nov 28 09:16:31 2018 + Commit: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo org> CommitDate: Thu Dec 20 04:55:21 2018 + URL:https://gitweb.gentoo.org/proj/devmanual.git/commit/?id=2c4f7fcc general-concepts/licenses: Determining the license Signed-off-by: Michał Górny gentoo.org> Signed-off-by: Göktürk Yüksek gentoo.org> general-concepts/licenses/text.xml | 47 ++ 1 file changed, 47 insertions(+) diff --git a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml index 093fd9e..f1d5299 100644 --- a/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml +++ b/general-concepts/licenses/text.xml @@ -39,6 +39,53 @@ be used) then use the following syntax: LICENSE="|| ( foo bar )" + +Determining the correct license + + + +To establish the correct value of LICENSE, you need to trace +the licenses of all installed files. Normally, the licenses of output +files (compiled executables, generated files) are implied +by the licenses of the relevant input files. + + + +When looking for license information, the following should be +considered: + + + + + COPYING* and LICENSE* files distributed with + the package + + + explicit statements in documentation + + + explicit license notices in source and data files + + + + +The latter (more specific) options take precedence over the former. +In particular, COPYING* files are frequently included as hardcopies +of applicable licenses but the exact application of licenses and their +versions are specified elsewhere. + + + +Please watch for license conflicts. If the license indicated +by the package is incompatible with the licenses used by its sources +(e.g. BSD/MIT package including GPL sources), please contact +the licenses team for guidance. Do not add packages that seem +to include license term violations. + + + + + Adding New Licenses
