[Bug 374900] [NEW] Libfaac not LGPL

[Reinhard Tartler]

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: faac

From: Jason Garrett-Glaser <darkshikari at gmail.com>
Subject: [RFC] Libfaac not LGPL?
Newsgroups: gmane.comp.video.ffmpeg.devel
To: FFmpeg development discussions and patches <ffmpeg-devel at mplayerhq.hu>
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:45:37 -0700
Reply-To: FFmpeg development discussions and patches
	<ffmpeg-devel at mplayerhq.hu>

We had some discussions on #ffmpeg-devel and I asked the folks at #gnu
about this:

http://faac.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/faac/faac/libfaac/tns.c?r1=1.8&r2=1.9

It appears that libfaac, despite declaring itself LGPL2.1, contains
quite a few licenses... many of which are completely incompatible with
the LGPL, such as the above.

In theory, it still may be legal to distribute, as the LGPL linking
exception *may* cover the linking of .c files with non-free licenses
with .c files that have free licenses.  However, either way, this
places FAAC squarely under non-GPL territory... such that ffmpeg
should require --enable-nonfree to link to it.

See thread at
http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.video.ffmpeg.devel/89985

** Affects: faac (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Description changed:

  Binary package hint: faac
  
  From: Jason Garrett-Glaser <darkshikari at gmail.com>
  Subject: [RFC] Libfaac not LGPL?
  Newsgroups: gmane.comp.video.ffmpeg.devel
  To: FFmpeg development discussions and patches <ffmpeg-devel at mplayerhq.hu>
  Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:45:37 -0700
  Reply-To: FFmpeg development discussions and patches
  	<ffmpeg-devel at mplayerhq.hu>
  
  We had some discussions on #ffmpeg-devel and I asked the folks at #gnu
  about this:
  
  http://faac.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/faac/faac/libfaac/tns.c?r1=1.8&r2=1.9
  
  It appears that libfaac, despite declaring itself LGPL2.1, contains
  quite a few licenses... many of which are completely incompatible with
  the LGPL, such as the above.
  
  In theory, it still may be legal to distribute, as the LGPL linking
  exception *may* cover the linking of .c files with non-free licenses
  with .c files that have free licenses.  However, either way, this
  places FAAC squarely under non-GPL territory... such that ffmpeg
  should require --enable-nonfree to link to it.
  
  See thread at
- http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.video.ffmpeg.devel/89985
+ http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.video.ffmpeg.devel/89985

-- 
Libfaac not LGPL
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/374900
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