[tex-live] removal of a package from texlive

[Norbert Preining]

Hi Vafa,

On Di, 02 Apr 2013, Vafa Khalighi wrote:
> Suppose a package is licensed under LPPL but the author removes it from CTAN (because he does not want people use that package any more for whatever reasons he has got); as a consequence this package also gets removed from TeXLive. Are people legally allowed to not update their TeX distribution (or say store that package on their computer) on purpose to use that package?

Yes they are. You are granting with LPPL the right to use the package,
change it, modify it, etc etc etc.

You can release new versions under different licenses, but what you 
have granted cannot has been granted.

In additin, everyone is free to copy your code and develop a new
version.

And if you stop developping this package, then also the author-maintained
status of LPPL is gone, and someone else can take over the same package
under the same name.

I have a backup of your packages, and I will keep them, and if necessary
make them available (outside of TeX Live - because inside we honor follow
CTAN).

Norbert

------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREINING, Norbert                               http://www.preining.info
JAIST, Japan                                 TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094   fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76  A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------