Sun nuke clause in iText [was Re: License review for new itext version]

[Jonathan Underwood]

Dear Tom,

Last year we corresponded briefly[1] about the licensing of some files
in iText which originate from Sun.  This issue is that these files
contain the Sun "nuke" clause[2] which makes it impossible to include
the software in Fedora.

In your reply you mentioned that a similar file to the ones in
question can be found in JAI without the nuke clause. However that
file doesn't contain the functionality of the files in question in
iText, and in any case JAI hasn't moved to an open source license as
yet.

Regarding the nuke clause you said:
> > In the case of the "nuke" clause our counsel has allowed us to
> > drop that language.  If anyone finds other instances of this language
> > in current Sun open source code releases please bring them to our
> > attention and we will make sure they are corrected.

This is very encouraging indeed, and so I asked:
> With that in mind, is there any possibility of Sun relicensing the
> files currently in iText so as not to include the nuke clause. For
> reference the files are:
>
> com/lowagie/text/pdf/LZWDecoder.java
> com/lowagie/text/pdf/codec/TIFFField.java
> com/lowagie/text/pdf/codec/TIFFConstants.java
> com/lowagie/text/pdf/codec/TIFFLZWDecoder.java
> com/lowagie/text/pdf/codec/PngImage.java
> com/lowagie/text/pdf/codec/TIFFDirectory.java
> com/lowagie/text/pdf/codec/TIFFFaxDecoder.java
> com/lowagie/text/pdf/codec/BmpImage.java
>

I wonder if you have had chance to look into this possibility? It
would be tremendously helpful if the nuke clause could be dropped from
these files, as iText would then be open source software.

Best wishes,
Jonathan

[1] http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2007-November/msg01028.html
[2] "You acknowledge that Software is not designed,licensed or
intended for use in
the design, construction, operation or maintenance of any nuclear facility."