How to list all installed packages licences in Ubuntu? -

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• license info of deb package 1 answer

i want installed packages licences on server, can dump using (source 2013 post):

packages=`dpkg --get-selections | awk '{ print $1 }'` package in $packages; echo "$package: "; cat /usr/share/doc/$package/copyright; echo ""; echo ""; done > ~/licenses.txt 

but output huge useless file copyright data each package. need like:

package : package_name        licence: licence_name 

is there parser or other tool data this?

what trying poorly supported @ moment, though there effort under way provide machine-readable information in file /usr/share/doc/*/copyright files. see example this excerpt:

format: http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/ upstream-name: @ source: git://anonscm.debian.org/collab-maint/at.git comment: package debianized author thomas koenig  <ig25@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>, taken on , re-packaged first martin  schulze <joey@debian.org> , siggy brentrup <bsb@winnegan.de>,  , taken on ryan murray <rmurray@debian.org>.  .  in august 2009 upstream development , debian packaging taken on  ansgar burchardt <ansgar@debian.org> , cyril brulebois <kibi@debian.org>.  .  may considered experimental upstream source, , since there  doesn't seem other upstream source, upstream source.  files: * copyright: 1993-1997,  thomas koenig <ig25@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>            1993,       david parsons            2002, 2005, ryan murray <rmurray@debian.org> license: gpl-2+  files: getloadavg.c copyright: 1985-1995, free software foundation inc license: gpl-2+  files: posixtm.* copyright: 1989-2007, free software foundation inc license: gpl-3+  files: parsetime.pl copyright: 2009, ansgar burchardt <ansgar@debian.org> license: isc   license: gpl-2+  program free software; can redistribute  and/or modify under terms of gnu general public  license published free software foundation; either  version 2 of license, or (at option) later  version. 

see specification (linked above) in http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/copyright-format/1.0/ details.

as can see, basic assumption there single license per package false. there may multiple licenses per file -- depending on problem trying solve, may of course possible ignore many of them (for example, if want investigate whether or not have stuff under apache license, should easy do, packages have transitioned new format).

this new debian jessie, released in 2015; older versions of debian not have this. best can if need audit system older packages grep copyright files fragments gpl, bsd, mit etc , hope you're not missing much; hope on top of flimsy grepping seem anathema proper legal work, think can assume reason attempting this. better approach might find current copyright files packages auditing, machine-readable information, , hoping (there's word again) adequate older version have installed, too.

(for comparison, older versions, too, available @ http://metadata.ftp-master.debian.org/changelogs/main/a/at/ examine.)

i don't follow ubuntu closely longer, assume picking change since few versions back. indeed, http://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/at seems have same copyright file.