---
name: "Software::Copyright"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libsoftware-copyright-perl"
version: "0.015-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Software::Copyright"
---

# Software::Copyright(3pm)

Copyright class

## NAME

Software::Copyright - Copyright class

## VERSION

version 0.015

## SYNOPSIS

```
 use Software::Copyright;
 my $copyright = Software::Copyright->new('2020,2021, Joe <joe@example.com>');
 # stringification
 my $s = "$copyright"; # => is "2020, 2021, Joe <joe\@example.com>"
 # add with merge
 $copyright->merge('2018-2020 Averell');
 # after addition
 $s = "$copyright"; # => is "2020, 2021, Joe <joe\@example.com>\n2018-2020, Averell"
 # merge statement which adds email
 $copyright->merge('2016, Averell <averell@example.com>');
 $s = "$copyright"; # => is "2020, 2021, Joe <joe\@example.com>\n2016, 2018-2020, Averell <averell\@example.com>"
```

## DESCRIPTION

This class holds a copyright statement, i.e. a set of year range, name and email.

## CONSTRUCTOR

The constructor is called with a copyright statement string. This string can be spread on several lines. The constructor is also compatible with the string given by Debian's licensecheck, i.e. the statements can be separated by "`"/"`".

## Methods

### statement

Get the Software::Copyright::Statement object of a given user.

### statement\_list

Returns a list of Software::Copyright::Statement object for all users.

### stringify

Returns a string containing a cleaned up copyright statement.

### is\_valid

Returns true if the copyright contains valid records, i.e. records with names.

### owners

Return a list of statement owners. An owner is either a name or a record.

### statement

Returns the Software::Copyright::Statement object for the given owner:

```
  my $statement = $copyright->statement('Joe Dalton');
```

### merge

Merge in a statement. This statement is either merged with a existing statement when the owner match or appended to the list of statements.

The statement parameter can either be a string or an Software::Copyright::Statement object.

### contains

Return 1 if the other copyright is contained in current copyright, i.e. all other statements are contained in current statements (See "contains" in Copyright::Statement for details on statement containment).

For instance:

- •

  `"2016, Joe"` copyright is contained in `"2014-2020, Joe"` copyright.

- •

  `"2016, Joe"` is contained in `"2014-2020, Joe / 2019, Jack"`

- •

  `"2010, Joe"` is **not** contained in `"2014-2020, Joe"`

## Operator overload

Operator `""`, `"eq"` and `"ne"` are overloaded.

## See also

Software::Copyright::Statement, Software::Copyright::Owner

## AUTHOR

Dominique Dumont

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is Copyright (c) 2022 by Dominique Dumont \<dod@debian.org\>.

This is free software, licensed under:

```
  The GNU General Public License, Version 3, June 2007
```