[GrafX2] #162: Licensing problem
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GrafX2
Jan 21, 2021, 11:36:11 AM1/21/21
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#162: Licensing problem
----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Keywords: |
----------------------+------------------------
Hi GrafX2 folks, I'm the package maintainer for GrafX2 in Fedora. When I
went to do the update to 2.7, I noticed that you had an added 3rd party
dependency on https://github.com/redcode/6502/. This code is GPLv3 or
later.
The problem is that the GrafX2 code is GPLv2 only (not GPLv2 or later),
and you cannot mix code that is GPLv2 only and GPLv3. That combination
results in a mix of licenses that cannot be complied with simultaneously.
See: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#v2v3Compatibility
Note that this was not an issue before, because recoil (your other main
3rd party dependency) is GPLv2 or later (thus, compatible).
Technically, you also have some CeCILL v2 code in the mix as well
(libraw2crtc.*), but since CeCILL v2 clause 5.3.4 says you can use it
under the terms of any specific version of the GPL, it can adjust to be
either GPLv2 or GPLv3 as needed.
Until the license compatibility issue is resolved, Fedora cannot update to
the latest version.
There are a few ways you can resolve this licensing incompatibility:
1. Relicense all of the GPLv2-only code files in GrafX2 to GPLv2 or later.
The effective result of this is that you combine GrafX2 (GPLv2+) with
recoil
(GPLv2+) and 6502 (GPLv3) and the binary is effectively GPLv3. Since
this is
the case, you might consider instead ...
2. Relicense all of the GPLv2-only code files in GrafX2 to GPLv3 (or GPLv3
or
later if you want to try to future proof compatibility with a
hypothetical
GPLv4).
3. Remove the GPLv3 code (6502), then the license compatibility issue goes
away.
4. Ask the 6052 upstream to relicense their code to either GPLv2 (or GPLv2
or
later). I do not recommend this option, as it implies they are
responsible for
your license problem... but if they did this, your license
compatibility issue
would go away. :)
If any of this is unclear, please let me know. I have been doing FOSS
licensing work for a very long time and I am happy to explain anything in
more detail.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162>
GrafX2 <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2>
The ultimate 256-color painting program
----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Keywords: |
----------------------+------------------------
Hi GrafX2 folks, I'm the package maintainer for GrafX2 in Fedora. When I
went to do the update to 2.7, I noticed that you had an added 3rd party
dependency on https://github.com/redcode/6502/. This code is GPLv3 or
later.
The problem is that the GrafX2 code is GPLv2 only (not GPLv2 or later),
and you cannot mix code that is GPLv2 only and GPLv3. That combination
results in a mix of licenses that cannot be complied with simultaneously.
See: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#v2v3Compatibility
Note that this was not an issue before, because recoil (your other main
3rd party dependency) is GPLv2 or later (thus, compatible).
Technically, you also have some CeCILL v2 code in the mix as well
(libraw2crtc.*), but since CeCILL v2 clause 5.3.4 says you can use it
under the terms of any specific version of the GPL, it can adjust to be
either GPLv2 or GPLv3 as needed.
Until the license compatibility issue is resolved, Fedora cannot update to
the latest version.
There are a few ways you can resolve this licensing incompatibility:
1. Relicense all of the GPLv2-only code files in GrafX2 to GPLv2 or later.
The effective result of this is that you combine GrafX2 (GPLv2+) with
recoil
(GPLv2+) and 6502 (GPLv3) and the binary is effectively GPLv3. Since
this is
the case, you might consider instead ...
2. Relicense all of the GPLv2-only code files in GrafX2 to GPLv3 (or GPLv3
or
later if you want to try to future proof compatibility with a
hypothetical
GPLv4).
3. Remove the GPLv3 code (6502), then the license compatibility issue goes
away.
4. Ask the 6052 upstream to relicense their code to either GPLv2 (or GPLv2
or
later). I do not recommend this option, as it implies they are
responsible for
your license problem... but if they did this, your license
compatibility issue
would go away. :)
If any of this is unclear, please let me know. I have been doing FOSS
licensing work for a very long time and I am happy to explain anything in
more detail.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162>
GrafX2 <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2>
The ultimate 256-color painting program
GrafX2
Jan 21, 2021, 12:26:01 PM1/21/21
to gra...@googlegroups.com
#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by PulkoMandy):
Hi,
Yes, this is a known issue.
We have been working to clarify the license on a few other parts as well,
and get more formal permission from the authors of some bundled code for a
less restrictive license (mainly for loader code that gets included into
images exported to some formats).
It's unsure if we can contact all contributors from the last 15 years to
get agreement to change to GPLv2+ or GPLv3.
I had intentionally decided to use GPLv2 (only) at the time because I feel
I do not trust the (future) FSF enough to allow them to decide on any
future license terms for my code.
Our other option is to find or write a 6502 emulator under a compatible
license.
For libraw2crtc, note that upstream has since relicensed the code to
WTFPL, so, we could update to a current version.
You can find a more complete analysis of the licensing status here:
https://gitlab.com/GrafX2/grafX2/-/blob/master/COPYRIGHT.txt
Another (much older) problem is the realpath.c file, which was imported
from some support code for Amiga software. There is no clear license
attached to that and I can't find an online source for it anymore.
However, this file is not needed when building on Linux, because there is
a native realpath implementation.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:1>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by PulkoMandy):
Hi,
Yes, this is a known issue.
We have been working to clarify the license on a few other parts as well,
and get more formal permission from the authors of some bundled code for a
less restrictive license (mainly for loader code that gets included into
images exported to some formats).
It's unsure if we can contact all contributors from the last 15 years to
get agreement to change to GPLv2+ or GPLv3.
I had intentionally decided to use GPLv2 (only) at the time because I feel
I do not trust the (future) FSF enough to allow them to decide on any
future license terms for my code.
Our other option is to find or write a 6502 emulator under a compatible
license.
For libraw2crtc, note that upstream has since relicensed the code to
WTFPL, so, we could update to a current version.
You can find a more complete analysis of the licensing status here:
https://gitlab.com/GrafX2/grafX2/-/blob/master/COPYRIGHT.txt
Another (much older) problem is the realpath.c file, which was imported
from some support code for Amiga software. There is no clear license
attached to that and I can't find an online source for it anymore.
However, this file is not needed when building on Linux, because there is
a native realpath implementation.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:1>
GrafX2
Jan 21, 2021, 3:01:02 PM1/21/21
to gra...@googlegroups.com
#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by spotrh@…):
Regarding realpath.c: The core of this code came from the "GeekGadgets"
project, which was intended to be a GNU standard environment for AmigaOS
and BeOS.
You can see a copy of the original file thanks to the Internet Archive
here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20060209043749/http://amiga.sourceforge.net/amigadevhelp/FUNCTIONS/GeekGadgets/realpath/ex02_realpath.c
Sadly, as was common in those days, there is no mention of license or even
copyright holder in that file.
Digging deeper, there is an indication of who uploaded the code:
https://web.archive.org/web/20100601062739/http://amiga.sourceforge.net/amigadevhelp/phpwebdev.php?action=Search&funcgroup=GeekGadgets&keyword=realpath
At the bottom, we can see that "LouiSe_" uploaded example 2 on
20040301131355. Email for "LouiSe_" is lou...@innoidea.hu, and more
digging reveals that to be the handle for Lajos Nagy. I think this is
Lajos: https://github.com/louisehu
Digging even deeper, Google has a cache of louise.hu from November 2020
and the Wayback Machine has several copies. I was able to connect with
Lajos via Skype chat (from a contact on louise.hu) and he confirmed that
while he was "LouiSe_" (and he ran the website where that code was
posted), he does not remember whether he is the author for that code or
not. After all, it was a long time ago.
Based on this, I think your best bet is either to drop that code or
reimplement it. I'm not sure how important AmigaOS support is for you.
There is some code in GNU coreutils that might work.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:2>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by spotrh@…):
Regarding realpath.c: The core of this code came from the "GeekGadgets"
project, which was intended to be a GNU standard environment for AmigaOS
and BeOS.
You can see a copy of the original file thanks to the Internet Archive
here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20060209043749/http://amiga.sourceforge.net/amigadevhelp/FUNCTIONS/GeekGadgets/realpath/ex02_realpath.c
Sadly, as was common in those days, there is no mention of license or even
copyright holder in that file.
Digging deeper, there is an indication of who uploaded the code:
https://web.archive.org/web/20100601062739/http://amiga.sourceforge.net/amigadevhelp/phpwebdev.php?action=Search&funcgroup=GeekGadgets&keyword=realpath
At the bottom, we can see that "LouiSe_" uploaded example 2 on
20040301131355. Email for "LouiSe_" is lou...@innoidea.hu, and more
digging reveals that to be the handle for Lajos Nagy. I think this is
Lajos: https://github.com/louisehu
Digging even deeper, Google has a cache of louise.hu from November 2020
and the Wayback Machine has several copies. I was able to connect with
Lajos via Skype chat (from a contact on louise.hu) and he confirmed that
while he was "LouiSe_" (and he ran the website where that code was
posted), he does not remember whether he is the author for that code or
not. After all, it was a long time ago.
Based on this, I think your best bet is either to drop that code or
reimplement it. I'm not sure how important AmigaOS support is for you.
There is some code in GNU coreutils that might work.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:2>
GrafX2
Jan 22, 2021, 3:52:02 AM1/22/21
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#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by Thomas Bernard):
why don't you just remove realpath.c and all 6502* sources from the fedora
project ?
I mean, wouldn't it allow you to update the fedora package before we get
everything fixed on our side ?
about realpath.c, if there is no known author for the code despite your
research, doesn't that mean the code is public domain ?
I have another question about https://github.com/redcode/6502/
Would making a library out of that code and link GrafX2 against it be
allowed by the GPLv3 license ?
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:3>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by Thomas Bernard):
why don't you just remove realpath.c and all 6502* sources from the fedora
project ?
I mean, wouldn't it allow you to update the fedora package before we get
everything fixed on our side ?
about realpath.c, if there is no known author for the code despite your
research, doesn't that mean the code is public domain ?
I have another question about https://github.com/redcode/6502/
Would making a library out of that code and link GrafX2 against it be
allowed by the GPLv3 license ?
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:3>
GrafX2
Jan 22, 2021, 4:34:39 AM1/22/21
to gra...@googlegroups.com
#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by PulkoMandy):
> about realpath.c, if there is no known author for the code despite your
research, doesn't that mean the code is public domain ?
No, that makes the copyright unknown and no one is allowed to redistribute
the code without agreement from the author in that case.
> Would making a library out of that code and link GrafX2 against it be
allowed by the GPLv3 license ?
No, that is the "viral" part of the GPL. The LGPL license is designed to
avoid this, but not the GPL.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:4>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by PulkoMandy):
> about realpath.c, if there is no known author for the code despite your
research, doesn't that mean the code is public domain ?
the code without agreement from the author in that case.
> Would making a library out of that code and link GrafX2 against it be
allowed by the GPLv3 license ?
avoid this, but not the GPL.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:4>
GrafX2
Jan 22, 2021, 7:02:54 AM1/22/21
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#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by yrizoud@…):
Now this was some impressive detective work :)
The archived GeekGadget page presents a second implementation of
realpath(), with a GPL2+ license and copyright 1993 Rick Sladkey
https://web.archive.org/web/20060209043834/http://amiga.sourceforge.net/amigadevhelp
/syntax-
hi/ex.php?examplefile=FUNCTIONS/GeekGadgets/realpath/ex01_realpath.c
It appears as well in rpm 5.2.1 (yes, the RedHat package manager), still
with a single copyright holder
https://fossies.org/dox/rpm-5.2.1/realpath_8c_source.html
The two versions are extremely close, not sure which one evolved from the
other.
If the (libc) dependencies are all available on the platforms where we
need it, this could be a possible replacement.
> why don't you just remove realpath.c and all 6502* sources from the
fedora project ?
@Thomas, realpath may be easy to patch out because it's a block of code
that compiled to nothing anyway on this platform, but for 6502 is not
trivial. It's up to us to choose what happens when the library is not
compiled, and provide an easy way to do it.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:5>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by yrizoud@…):
Now this was some impressive detective work :)
The archived GeekGadget page presents a second implementation of
realpath(), with a GPL2+ license and copyright 1993 Rick Sladkey
https://web.archive.org/web/20060209043834/http://amiga.sourceforge.net/amigadevhelp
/syntax-
hi/ex.php?examplefile=FUNCTIONS/GeekGadgets/realpath/ex01_realpath.c
It appears as well in rpm 5.2.1 (yes, the RedHat package manager), still
with a single copyright holder
https://fossies.org/dox/rpm-5.2.1/realpath_8c_source.html
The two versions are extremely close, not sure which one evolved from the
other.
If the (libc) dependencies are all available on the platforms where we
need it, this could be a possible replacement.
> why don't you just remove realpath.c and all 6502* sources from the
fedora project ?
that compiled to nothing anyway on this platform, but for 6502 is not
trivial. It's up to us to choose what happens when the library is not
compiled, and provide an easy way to do it.
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:5>
GrafX2
Jan 22, 2021, 2:09:03 PM1/22/21
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#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by spotrh@…):
I had hoped it would have a happier ending. Usually, when I go on an
author hunt (and they're still alive), they remember the code and are
happy to resolve the licensing.
As for Fedora, I will hold on pushing an update until the issue is
resolved. I'll watch this ticket. :)
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:6>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by spotrh@…):
I had hoped it would have a happier ending. Usually, when I go on an
author hunt (and they're still alive), they remember the code and are
happy to resolve the licensing.
As for Fedora, I will hold on pushing an update until the issue is
resolved. I'll watch this ticket. :)
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:6>
GrafX2
Jan 22, 2021, 6:48:56 PM1/22/21
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#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
-----------------------+------------------------
Changes (by Thomas Bernard):
* Attachment "6502-RELICENSE" added.
the 6502 emulator granted us a specific license.
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
-----------------------+------------------------
Changes (by Thomas Bernard):
* Attachment "6502-RELICENSE" added.
the 6502 emulator granted us a specific license.
GrafX2
Jan 25, 2021, 10:42:24 AM1/25/21
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#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
wrapper to the Linux realpath()), Fedora can make this update.
Thanks!
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:7>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by spotrh@…):
Nice work. With that relicensing (and replacing realpath.c with just the
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by spotrh@…):
wrapper to the Linux realpath()), Fedora can make this update.
Thanks!
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:7>
GrafX2
Jan 28, 2021, 4:10:37 PM1/28/21
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#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by Thomas Bernard):
https://gitlab.com/GrafX2/grafX2/-/merge_requests/311
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:8>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: | Keywords:
Type: defect | Status: new
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.8
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
-----------------------+------------------------
Comment (by Thomas Bernard):
https://gitlab.com/GrafX2/grafX2/-/merge_requests/311
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:8>
GrafX2
Apr 29, 2024, 4:31:15 AM (6 days ago) Apr 29
to gra...@googlegroups.com
#162: Licensing problem
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: closed
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.10
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: fixed | Keywords:
-----------------------+------------------------
Changes (by PulkoMandy):
* resolution: => fixed
* status: new => closed
Comment:
The licensing issue has been resolved (see previous discussion).
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:12>
-----------------------+------------------------
Reporter: spotrh@… | Owner: pulkomandy
Type: defect | Status: closed
Priority: major | Milestone: 2.10
Component: GrafX2 | Version: 2.7
Resolution: fixed | Keywords:
-----------------------+------------------------
Changes (by PulkoMandy):
* resolution: => fixed
* status: new => closed
Comment:
The licensing issue has been resolved (see previous discussion).
--
Ticket URL: <http://pulkomandy.tk/projects/GrafX2/ticket/162#comment:12>
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