[Mageia-dev] Question about mysql-workbench documentation license

Tue Nov 20 06:54:44 CET 2012

Juan Luis Baptiste a écrit :
+> Ooops forgot to put the link from where the licence comes from:
+>
+> http://dev.mysql.com/doc/workbench/en/wb-preface.html
+>
+> On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 9:41 PM, Juan Luis Baptiste <juancho at mageia.org
+> <mailto:juancho at mageia.org>> wrote:
+>
+>     Hi,
+>
+>     In Fedora the bundled documentation of mysql-workbench has been
+>     removed because it isn't distributed under a GPL license. However,
+>     according to this parte of the license, it seems that it can be
+>     distributed if it's distributed along with mysql-workbench:
+>
+>     ----------
+>
+>     This documentation is NOT distributed under a GPL license. Use of
+>     this documentation is subject to the following terms:
+>
+>     You may create a printed copy of this documentation solely for your
+>     own personal use. Conversion to other formats is allowed as long as
+>     the actual content is not altered or edited in any way. You shall
+>     not publish or distribute this documentation in any form or on any
+>     media, except if you distribute the documentation in a manner
+>     similar to how Oracle disseminates it (that is, electronically for
+>     download on a Web site with the software) or on a CD-ROM or similar
+>     medium, provided however that the documentation is disseminated
+>     together with the software on the same medium. Any other use, such
+>     as any dissemination of printed copies or use of this documentation,
+>     in whole or in part, in another publication, requires the prior
+>     written consent from an authorized representative of Oracle. Oracle
+>     and/or its affiliates reserve any and all rights to this
+>     documentation not expressly granted above.
+>
+>     ----------
+>
+>
+>     My interpretation is that even if it isn't GPL'd we can distribute
+>     it if it's bundled with mysql-workbench. Is this correct ? if not
+>     then I'll apply the patch form Fedora to remove it too.
+
+Mysql workbench is under GPL2.
+If I understand GPL correctly, we could include the documentation 
+(nonfree in part since it prohibits modification) in the same package as 
+mysql-workbench (which must then be nonfree) as long as the GPL 
+copyright owners agree.
+Oracle concurs, but 3rd-parties, if any, might not.
+
+An alternate approach would be to package and distribute the 
+documentation separately (as nonfree).  Oracle permits this as long as 
+it is only available on the same media or sites as mysql-workbench -- 
+which concurs with our current practices.
+Then the mysql-workbench package itself would still be GPL.
+
+So I'd go for the second option.
+Maybe adding a comment in the mysql-workbench description indicating 
+that due to licensing restrictions, the documentation is available in 
+non-free.
+
+>
+>     Cheers,
+>     --
+>     Juancho
+
+My 2 cents :)
+
+-- 
+André
+