Public domain source in wine

[Lionel Elie Mamane]

On Thu, Nov 04, 2004 at 01:39:34PM +0100, Michael Jung wrote:

> I would like to use source code from LibTomCrypt (...). LibTomCrypt
> is in the public domain.

> 1. What is the legaly correct way to do this? As I understand it,
> public domain source can simply be taken as is and re-licensed under
> the LGPL. Is this correct?

Yes, it is, but see below.

> Am I allowed to remove the headers in the original file, which state
> that the code is public domain?

*If* the code is really public domain, then, yes, this is
allowed. However, be aware that as, from what I gather from the
website, the author seems to be alive at present, the code is *not*
public domain in most of Europe. (Some of the rights granted by
copyright are inalienable in most of Europe.) One could argue, though,
that by putting "public domain" on the thing, the author's intention
was to give you a license to remove his name.

I think it is better to keep the headers anyway, for trail of
accountability reasons: If SCO comes and says they wrote this code, at
least you know who to call to come to testify to court "No, *I* wrote
that code".


Independent of legal reasons, I think that morally, by not using the
lethal weapons carried by law enforcement to force us to keep his name
on his work, Tom St Denis, on a moral level, deserves to be credited
even more. He's nice with us, let's be nice with him.

> How do you generally acknowledge the original author?

Something like what was suggested by Mike is fine.

-- 
Lionel