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

[andre999]

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