Machine-readable debian/copyright file.
- Version 1.0
Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification, are
@@ -25,12 +24,10 @@
- This specification was drafted as DEP-5, to establish a
- standard, machine-readable format for
- debian/copyright files within packages and
- facilitate automated checking and reporting of licenses for packages and
- sets of packages.
+ Establish a standard, machine-readable format for
+ debian/copyright files within packages and to
+ facilitate automated checking and reporting of licenses for packages
+ and sets of packages.
@@ -121,32 +118,40 @@
avoid conflicting specifications for widely used extra fields.
- There are four kinds values for fields. Each field specifies which kind
- is allowed.
+ The file consists of two or more paragraphs. At minimum, the file
+ must include one header
+ paragraph and one Files
+ paragraph.
+
+
+ The value of each field is of one of the four types listed below. The
+ definition for each field in this document indicates which type of
+ value it takes.
Single-line values
- A single-line value means that the whole value of a field must fit on a
- single line. For example, the Format field has a
- single line value specifying the version of the machine-readable format
- that is used.
+ A single-line value means that the whole value of a field must fit
+ on a single line. For example, the Format field
+ has a single-line value specifying the version of the
+ machine-readable format that is used.
- White space separated lists
+ Whitespace-separated lists
- A white space separated list means that the field value may be on one
- line or many, but values in the list are separated by one or more white
- space characters (including space, TAB, and newline). For example, the
- Files field has a list of filename patterns.
+ A whitespace-separated list means that the field value may be on one
+ line or many, but values in the list are separated by one or more
+ whitespace characters (including space, TAB, and newline). For
+ example, the Files field has a list of filename
+ patterns.
- Line based lists
+ Line-based lists
Another kind of list value has one value per line. For example,
Copyright can list many copyright statements, one per
@@ -171,110 +176,77 @@
Paragraphs
- There are three kinds of paragraphs: the first one is called the
- header paragraph. Every other
- paragraph is either a Files
- paragraph or a stand-alone
- license paragraph. This is similar to source and binary package
+ There are three kinds of paragraphs. The first paragraph in the file
+ is called the header paragraph.
+ Every other paragraph is either a Files paragraph or a stand-alone License
+ paragraph. This is similar to source and binary package
paragraphs in debian/control files.
Header paragraph (Once)
-
- Format
-
- Required single line: URI of the format specification, such as:
- http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/
-
-
-
-
- Upstream-Name
-
- Optional single line: the name upstream uses for the software
-
-
-
-
- Upstream-Contact
-
- Optional line based list: the preferred address(es) to reach the
- upstream project. May be free-form text, but by convention will
- usually be written as a list of RFC5322 addresses or URIs.
-
-
-
-
- Source
-
- Optional formatted text, no synopsis: an explanation from where the
- upstream source came from. Typically this would be a URL, but it might
- be a free-form explanation. The Debian Policy section 12.5
- requires this information unless there are no upstream sources, which
- is mainly the case for native Debian packages. If the upstream source
- has been modified to remove non-free parts, that should be explained
- in this field.
-
-
-
-
- Disclaimer
-
- Optional formatted text, no synopsis: this field can be used in the
- case of non-free and contrib packages (see 12.5)
-
-
-
-
- Comment
-
- Optional formatted text, no synopsis: this field can provide
- additional information. For example, it might quote an e-mail from
- upstream justifying why the license is acceptable to the main archive,
- or an explanation of how this version of the package has been forked
- from a version known to be DFSG-free, even though the current upstream
- version is not.
-
-
-
-
- License
-
- Optional formatted text, with synopsis: in the header paragraph
- (no Files specification), this field gives the
- license information for the package as a whole, which may be different
- or simplified from a combination of all the per-file license
- information. License below in the Files paragraph section.
-
-
-
-
- Copyright
-
- Optional line based list: in the header paragraph (no
- Files specification), this field gives the
- copyright information for the package as a whole, which may be
- different or simplified from a combination of all the per-file
- copyright information. See also Copyright below
- in the Files paragraph
- section.
-
-
- The Copyright and License fields
- in the header paragraph may complement but do not
- replace the files paragraphs. They can be used
- to summarise the contributions and redistribution terms for the whole
- package, for instance when a work combines a permissive and a copyleft
- license, or to document a compilation copyright
- and license. It is possible to use only License in
- the header paragraph, but Copyright alone makes no
- sense.
-
-
+
+ The following fields may be present in a header paragraph.
+
+
+
+
+ Format: required.
+
+
+
+
+ Upstream-Name:
+ optional.
+
+
+
+
+ Upstream-Contact:
+ optional.
+
+
+
+
+ Source: optional.
+
+
+
+
+ Disclaimer:
+ optional.
+
+
+
+
+ Comment: optional.
+
+
+
+
+ License: optional.
+
+
+
+
+ Copyright: optional.
+
+
+
+
+ The Copyright and License
+ fields in the header paragraph may complement
+ but do not replace the Files paragraphs. They
+ can be used to summarise the contributions and redistribution terms
+ for the whole package, for instance when a work combines a
+ permissive and a copyleft license, or to document a
+ compilation copyright and license. It is
+ possible to use only License in the header
+ paragraph, but Copyright alone makes no sense.
+ Example header paragraph
@@ -285,7 +257,7 @@ Source: http://www.example.com/software/project
-
+ Files paragraph (Repeatable)
The declaration of copyright and license for files is done in one or
@@ -293,150 +265,32 @@ Source: http://www.example.com/software/project
which applies to all files and lists all applicable copyrights and
licenses.
-
-
- Files
-
- Required white space separated list: list of patterns indicating files
- covered by the license and copyright specified in this paragraph.
-
-
- Filename patterns in the Files field are specified
- using a simplified shell glob syntax. Patterns are separated by white
- space.
-
-
-
- Only the wildcards * and ?
- apply; the former matches any number of characters (including
- none), the latter a single character. Both match a slash
- (/) and a leading dot.
-
-
-
-
- Patterns match pathnames that start at the root of the source
- tree. Thus, Makefile.in
- matches only the file at the root of the tree, but
- */Makefile.in matches at any
- depth.
-
-
-
-
- The backslash (\) is used to remove the magic
- from the next character; see table below.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Escape sequence
- Matches
-
-
-
-
- \*
- star (asterisk)
-
-
- \?
- question mark
-
-
- \\
- backslash
-
-
-
-
- Any other character following a backslash is an error.
-
-
- Multiple Files paragraphs are allowed. The last
- paragraph that matches a particular file applies to it.
-
- Exclusions are done by having multiple Files
- paragraphs.
+ The following fields may be present in a Files paragraph.
-
-
-
- Copyright
-
- Required line based list: one or more free-form copyright
- statement(s), one per line, that apply to the files matched by the
- above pattern. If a work has no copyright holder (i.e., it is in
- the public domain), that information should be recorded here.
-
-
- The Copyright field collects all relevant copyright
- notices for the files of this paragraph. Not all copyright notices
- may apply to every individual file, and years of publication for one
- copyright holder may be gathered together. For example, if file A
- has:
-Copyright 2008 John Smith
-Copyright 2009 Angela Watts
- and file B has:
-Copyright 2010 Angela Watts
- the Copyright field for a stanza
- covering both file A and file B need contain only:
-Copyright 2008 John Smith
-Copyright 2009, 2010 Angela Watts
-
-
- The Copyright field may contain the original
- copyright statement copied exactly (including the word
- Copyright), or it can shorten the text, as long
- as it does not sacrifice information. Examples in this specification
- use both forms.
-
-
-
-
- License
-
- Required formatted text, with synopsis: licensing terms for the files
- listed in Files field for this paragraph.
-
-
- First line: an abbreviated name for the license, or expression
- giving alternatives (see Short
- names section for a list of standard abbreviations). If there
- are licenses present in the package without a standard short name, an
- arbitrary short name may be assigned for these licenses. These
- arbitrary names are only guaranteed to be unique within a single
- copyright file.
-
-
- Remaining lines: if left blank here, the file
- must include a stand-alone
- License paragraph matching each license short
- name listed on the first line (see the Standalone License
- Paragraph section). Otherwise, this field should either
- include the full text of the license(s) or include a pointer to the
- license file under /usr/share/common-licenses.
- This field should include all text needed in order to fulfill both
- Debian Policy's requirement for including a copy of the software's
- distribution license (12.5),
- and any license requirements to include warranty disclaimers or other
- notices with the binary package.
-
-
-
- Comment
-
- Same as the
- Comment field in the header paragraph.
-
-
+
+
+
+ Files: required.
+
+
+
+
+ Copyright: required.
+
+
+
+
+ License: required.
+
+
+
+
+ Comment: optional.
+
+
+ Example files paragraphs
@@ -467,13 +321,30 @@ License: GPL-2+
- Standalone License Paragraph (Optional, Repeatable)
+ Stand-alone License Paragraph (Optional, Repeatable)
Where a set of files are dual (tri, etc) licensed, or when the same
- license occurs multiple times, you can use a single line
- License field and standalone
+ license occurs multiple times, you can use a single-line
+ License field and stand-alone
License paragraphs to expand the license short names.
+
+ The following fields may be present in a stand-alone License
+ paragraph.
+
+
+
+
+
+ License: required.
+
+
+
+
+ Comment: optional.
+
+
+ tri-licensed filesFiles: src/js/editline/*
@@ -508,6 +379,221 @@ License: MPL-1.1
+
+ Fields
+
+ The following fields are defined for use in
+ debian/copyright.
+
+
+
+ Format
+
+ Single-line: URI of the format specification, such as:
+ http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/.
+
+
+
+
+ Upstream-Name
+
+ Single-line: the name upstream uses for the software
+
+
+
+
+ Upstream-Contact
+
+ Line-based list: the preferred address(es) to reach the upstream
+ project. May be free-form text, but by convention will usually be
+ written as a list of RFC5322 addresses or URIs.
+
+
+
+
+ Source
+
+ Formatted text, no synopsis: an explanation from where the upstream
+ source came from. Typically this would be a URL, but it might be a
+ free-form explanation. The Debian Policy section 12.5
+ requires this information unless there are no upstream sources,
+ which is mainly the case for native Debian packages. If the
+ upstream source has been modified to remove non-free parts, that
+ should be explained in this field.
+
+
+
+
+ Disclaimer
+
+ Formatted text, no synopsis: this field can be used in the case of
+ non-free and contrib packages (see 12.5).
+
+
+
+
+ Comment
+
+ Formatted text, no synopsis: this field can provide additional
+ information. For example, it might quote an e-mail from upstream
+ justifying why the license is acceptable to the main archive, or an
+ explanation of how this version of the package has been forked from
+ a version known to be DFSG-free, even though the current upstream
+ version is not.
+
+
+
+
+ License
+
+ Formatted text, with synopsis. In the header paragraph, this field
+ gives the license information for the package as a whole, which may
+ be different or simplified from a combination of all the per-file
+ license information. In a Files paragraph, this field gives the
+ licensing terms for the files listed in the Files
+ field for this paragraph. In a stand-alone License paragraph, it
+ gives the licensing terms for those paragraphs which reference it.
+
+
+ First line: an abbreviated name for the license, or expression
+ giving alternatives (see Short
+ names section for a list of standard abbreviations). If
+ there are licenses present in the package without a standard short
+ name, an arbitrary short name may be assigned for these licenses.
+ These arbitrary names are only guaranteed to be unique within a
+ single copyright file.
+
+
+ Remaining lines: if left blank here, the file
+ must include a stand-alone License
+ paragraph matching each license short
+ name listed on the first line.
+ Otherwise, this field should either
+ include the full text of the license(s) or include a pointer to the
+ license file under /usr/share/common-licenses.
+ This field should include all text needed in order to fulfill both
+ Debian Policy's requirement for including a copy of the software's
+ distribution license (12.5),
+ and any license requirements to include warranty disclaimers or
+ other notices with the binary package.
+
+
+
+
+ Copyright
+
+ Formatted text, no synopsis: one or more free-form copyright
+ statement(s). Any formatting is permitted; see the examples below
+ for some ideas for how to structure the field to make it easier to
+ read. In the header paragraph, this field gives the copyright
+ information for the package as a whole, which may be different or
+ simplified from a combination of all the per-file copyright
+ information. In the Files paragraphs, it gives the copyright
+ information that applies to the files matched by the
+ Files pattern. If a work has no copyright holder
+ (i.e., it is in the public domain), that information should be
+ recorded here.
+
+
+ The Copyright field collects all relevant
+ copyright notices for the files of this paragraph. Not all
+ copyright notices may apply to every individual file, and years of
+ publication for one copyright holder may be gathered together. For
+ example, if file A has:
+Copyright 2008 John Smith
+Copyright 2009 Angela Watts
+ and file B has:
+Copyright 2010 Angela Watts
+ the Copyright field for a stanza covering both
+ file A and file B need contain only:
+Copyright 2008 John Smith
+Copyright 2009, 2010 Angela Watts
+
+
+ The Copyright field may contain the original
+ copyright statement copied exactly (including the word
+ Copyright), or it can shorten the text, as long as it
+ does not sacrifice information. Examples in this specification use
+ both forms.
+
+
+
+
+ Files
+
+ Whitespace-separated list: list of patterns indicating files covered
+ by the license and copyright specified in this paragraph.
+
+
+ Filename patterns in the Files field are
+ specified using a simplified shell glob syntax. Patterns are
+ separated by whitespace.
+
+
+
+ Only the wildcards * and ?
+ apply; the former matches any number of characters (including
+ none), the latter a single character. Both match a slash
+ (/) and a leading dot.
+
+
+
+
+ Patterns match pathnames that start at the root of the source
+ tree. Thus, Makefile.in
+ matches only the file at the root of the tree, but
+ */Makefile.in matches at
+ any depth.
+
+
+
+
+ The backslash (\) is used to remove the
+ magic from the next character; see table below.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ Escape sequence
+ Matches
+
+
+
+
+ \*
+ star (asterisk)
+
+
+ \?
+ question mark
+
+
+ \\
+ backslash
+
+
+
+
+ Any other character following a backslash is an error.
+
+
+ Multiple Files paragraphs are allowed. The last
+ paragraph that matches a particular file applies to it.
+
+
+ Exclusions are done by having multiple Files
+ paragraphs.
+
+
+
+ License specification
@@ -541,7 +627,7 @@ License: MPL-1.1
debian/copyright, nor any requirements in the
license of the work regarding reproduction of legal notices. This
information must still be included in the License
- field, either in a stand-alone license paragraph or in the relevant
+ field, either in a stand-alone License paragraph or in the relevant
files paragraph.
@@ -710,8 +796,8 @@ License: MPL-1.1
CC0
- Creative Commons Zero 1.0 Universal
- 1.0.
+ Creative Commons Zero
+ 1.0 Universal.
@@ -894,7 +980,8 @@ License: MPL-1.1
license differs from a common license because of added restrictions
rather than because of added permissions, a distinct short name should
be used instead of with
- keywordsexception.
+ keywords
+ exception.
Only one exception may be specified for each license within a given