[Mageia-dev] Mageia repository sections, licenses, restrictions, firmware etc

Fri Oct 15 16:27:51 CEST 2010

On Fri, 15 Oct 2010, Wolfgang Bornath wrote:
+
+> As mirror maintainer/owner of Mandriva Linux and future Mageia
+> (ftp.mandrivauser.de) I discussed this problem with my friends and we
+> decided not to mirror PLF although a German university does
+> (ftp.gwdg.de). The point is that our mirror is hosted on a private
+> server where just one person is liable (me, unfortunately). But we
+> also decided to mirror the non-free branch of Mandriva Linux. There is
+> non-free and there is patented and/or legally unclear software - we
+> will definitely stay away from the latter when mirroring Mageia.
+> Making a difference between such software on the parent mirror will
+> make it easy for mirrors such as ours. Distributing such software in
+> the same branches as "normal" software will make it impossible to
+> mirror Mageia.
+
+wobo, I perfectly understand your reasons especially since as you say 
+the server is privately owned by you, not an association or a company.
+
+OTOH I think your worry is unfounded, the patent issues are mostly US 
+issues, not so much European issues.
+
+Also separating out packages will be very difficult (I would say 
+impossible) since not even lawyers can know for sure which software has 
+patent issues and which one not.
+It's not just a problem with codecs, ANY software could have patent 
+issues (in the US at least).
+
+For example Microsoft is claiming that the Linux kernel is in breach of 
+several patents help by Microsoft.
+
+Do you want to not mirror the kernel?
+
+