Anthony DeRobertis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > >As for relevance to Debian, can one assume that the GPL absolutely > >guarantees > >DFSG free? (As I'm pretty sure the DFSG *does* guarantee me this > >right). > > No. Patents can get in your way. We have GPL software (e.g., > gimp-nonfree, due to Unisys patents [expiring mid next year!] on LZW as > used in GIF) in non-free.
This may be what has happened in this case, but I don't understand how it follows from the DFSG. In general, I don't think it makes sense to call software with a DFSG-free licence non-free just because using it, or maybe even distributing it, is illegal in certain countries. It's those countries that should be in "non-free", not the software. Edmund
