[tex-live] Strange license of ukhyphen

[Norbert Preining]

Dear all!

TeX live contains since long time the ukhyphen.tex. Unfortunately it has
quite strange license restrictions. Unlimited copying and redistribution
is permitted, but no modification whatsoever. I cite:

   Modifications may be made for private purposes [...]
   but if such modifications are re-distributed, the modified
   file must not be capable of being confused with the
   original.

Till now I would say this is not too strange, but here:

   In particular, this means the filename (the portion before the
   extension, if any) must not match any of :
%        UKHYPH                  UK-HYPH
%        UKHYPHEN                UK-HYPHEN
%        UKHYPHENS               UK-HYPHENS
%        UKHYPHENATION           UK-HYPHENATION
%        UKHYPHENISATION         UK-HYPHENISATION
%        UKHYPHENIZATION         UK-HYPHENIZATION
   regardless of case, and


   the file must contain conditions identical to these,
   except that the modifier/distributor may, if he or she
   wishes, augment the list of proscribed filenames.

This is definitely not DFSG free, and also not FSF free, so normally I
would expect that we cannot include it in TeX live.

Some time ago Frank Küster wrote in an email to Debian bug #139900:

> One remark regarding ukhyphen.tex: TE has told me (approximate
> translation by me) 
> 
> | I remember faintly that I have talked to the president of UKTUG about
> | this in summer 2003 in Hawaii. Obviously nothing has happened since
> | then... 
> 
> Therefore if anybody feels like bothering them again, go ahead.


So if one of you have good contacts with the UKTUG heads I would suggest
discussing this topic again.

Best wishes

Norbert

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Dr. Norbert Preining <preining AT logic DOT at>             Università di Siena
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