Re: [syl20bnr/spacemacs] Proposal to improve GPL compliance (#14444)

[github . com]

* Sylvain Benner <notifications@github.com> [2021-03-04 06:33]:
> @gnusupport You are the expert here. I don't understand half of what you are 
> saying and I'm not interested in understanding it. But I'm willing to improve 
> Spacemacs compliance with GPLv3 if it is a reasonable proposal (i.e. I don't 
> 3km long headers in each file).
> 
> You are asking about doing this:
> - [ ]  Full license text file is missing in the distribution.
> - [ ] Source files do not have proper license notices. "GPLv3" is
>    not enough. This is not even related to the section 5 but to
>    general application of GNU GPLv3 license, and Spacemacs authors
>    with to license it as GPLv3 but just need to place proper notices
>    in each source files.
> - [ ] Somewhere in the interactive interface you could add short
>    copyright notice, something like "Copying Conditions" in accordance
>    with the section 5.
> 
> Can you either:
> - open a PR with the correct missing info
> - or give concrete examples about what is needed
> 
> Thank you for your help, this is greatly appreciated.

Sorry I cannot open pull request as I do not use Github neither other
Git. I have opened this issue, and it should be clear what has to be
done, you confirmed it as well in this comment.

1. Placing COPYING file with the GPLv3 inside of the Spacemacs
   repository should be a minute of work. Plaint text format is here:
   https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt

2. Source files can be distributed independently of the whole package,
   how the copyright notice each source file should look like one can
   see for example when you do M-x find-library RET async RET with the
   difference of author's names. Same information on "How to Apply
   These Terms to Your New Programs" is written in the license text of
   the GPL-3.0 above.

3. Read section from GPL-3.0:

   "An interactive user interface displays "Appropriate Legal Notices"
    to the extent that it includes a convenient and prominently
    visible feature that (1) displays an appropriate copyright notice,
    and (2) tells the user that there is no warranty for the work
    (except to the extent that warranties are provided), that
    licensees may convey the work under this License, and how to view
    a copy of this License.  If the interface presents a list of user
    commands or options, such as a menu, a prominent item in the list
    meets this criterion."

    As when one runs plain Emacs that is complied to, but when user
    runs Spacemacs there is no appropriate prominent item in the list
    to tell about licensing.