CeCILL licence - Question concerning the Copyright and response of the legal service of CeCILL.
CeCILL License A Question about Copyright and CeCILL legal service answer.
I am a member of the CMS GuppY development team. GuppY is a script that we make available under a Cecill license since the latest version. Before that, it was distributed under a GNU GPL license. We've changed for Cecill to improve the protection of our work, particularly for the respect of the copyright mention, that we integrate in the footer of GuppY powered websites e.g. see the footer on the official website: http://www.freeguppy.org/.
Today, we've noticed that a user who builds at least two websites with GuppY has altered the copyright mention in the footer (which is written in the source code) instead of this text:
Site powered by Guppy v4.0.3 - Ó2004-2006 CeCILL Free License
he wrote: Powered by Guppy
In the official copyright, we include a link to the official Guppy Website and a link to the website of the Cecill license, in order to promote our script together with the license which protects it. The so-called user left a link to the official Guppy Website, the license mention has disappeared, altogether with the link to http://www.cecill.info
I have kindly explained to the user that we didn't mind his changing the copyright mention but that we would indeed value very much that he should put back in place in the footer the Cecill license mention, first because it is fully part GuppY's identity we are indeed proud enough to distribute it freely and with no charge but also because it is part of what we understand in "copyright". That user takes offence at this demand, and answers that the cecill license has no legal validity, and that he does not breach the law since he left the mention "Powered by GuppY" which is right enough." He goes on by saying that he refuses to add the CeCILL Free License " with the link pointing at its website because it is too long and detracts the aesthetics of his websites.
I'd like to know if we do understand in the first place the words of §6.4. As far are we are concerned, we have understood that the user was in noway allowed to modify ANY of the copyright mentions and that he had to leave them as they are, in the source code of the software AND in the footer of the sites powered with GuppY.
Could you please make things clear on this point. If we have misunderstood, then the user is right and we'll then have to change for another license.
We distribute GuppY freely, work on it as volunteers, and do not expect anything else than the respect for this whole string :" Site powered by Guppy v4.0.3 - Ó2004-2006 CeCILL Free License" duly displayed on the websites. We stick to it, as our sole remuneration and acknowledgement of our work. does the CeCILL license allow us to demand the respect of this clause?
Answer of the legal CeCILL service
"You have perfectly understood. By downloading the software, this licensee committed himself to respect the words of the CeCILL license and particularly those of its 6.4 article enforcing on the licensee the obligation to duplicate exactly the mentions of intellectual propriety on the copies of the software. We have hence a right to impose on this licensee to display on every copy of the software the string :" Site powered by Guppy v4.0.3 - Ó2004-2006 CeCILL Free License". If the licensee will not comply, you are entitled to send him a letter order to display the correct legal mention on each copy of the software. For lack of this correction within 30 days, you may cancel his license. Thus this user will not be allowed to use, modify, and distribute the software (article ten of the CeCILL license)"
I stay at your disposal for any further enquiry,
Cordially yours,
Anne-Sophie BAYLE
CEA/SACLAY
