We accept licensing questions on Ask Ubuntu. Or at least many such questions.

Here are just a few such questions that the community has embraced. (And this is just what I was able to find in under 10 seconds.)

- http://askubuntu.com/questions/21759/what-are-the-legal-consequences-of-customizing-the-livecd
- http://askubuntu.com/questions/42980/is-using-internet-explorer-6-on-playonlinux-legal
- http://askubuntu.com/questions/51404/legal-issue-with-bundling-gnome3-on-ubuntu-install

Do we draw the line when a licensing question is about software provided in a PPA rather than one of the official software sources?

This is the question that's motivated me to ask this, but I'm interested in the general issue as well.

- http://askubuntu.com/questions/194667/is-sublime-legal-to-use

My feeling is that we should *allow* these questions *for the time being*. After all, we allowed the question about Internet Explorer 6! But I think we should revisit the matter if we start seeing a lot of subjective answers, bad advice, or answers lots of people think are bad advice. (So I think [that particular question][1] should not be closed, at least at this time, and if it is closed, should be reopened unless there's a consensus that it ought to stay closed.)

However, I think some people may feel more strongly, one way or the other. So I'm posting this meta question, in case we as a community really are ready to come up with a definitive consensus one way or the other. (Or in case we're not--then at least we can know the issue is controversial, and not have people thinking their view is universal.)


  [1]: http://askubuntu.com/questions/194667/is-sublime-legal-to-use