[tz] leap_second.list not updated after latest IERS Bulletin C

[Brian.Inglis at shaw.ca]

On 2023-12-15 02:31, Martin Burnicki via tz wrote:
> Paul Eggert via tz:
>> On 12/9/23 13:30, Tim Parenti wrote:
>>> It still falls short, though.
>>> of the ideal that the leap-seconds.list file itself also contain the notice
>>> so we (and others) don't have to duplicate it elsewhere:
>>> https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/tz/2017-April/024988.html
>>>
>>> It also doesn't necessarily allay the other concerns.
>>
>> Perhaps we could work around the copyright-notice problem by adding 
>> appropriate verbiage to the LICENSE file. This would require some thinking, 
>> though.
>>
>> One other problem just occurred to me. Since the IERS variant of 
>> leap-seconds.list is not public domain, putting it into tzdata would 
>> contradict Internet RFC 6557 section 7 "Data Ownership"[1], which says that 
>> tzdata is public domain and therefore is exempt from a bunch of rules that I'm 
>> not familiar with and would rather not become expert in if I can avoid it. I 
>> suppose this could be worked around by writing a new RFC that addresses this 
>> issue but that'd surely be a good bit of work in its own right.
> 
> It was me who has asked the folks at IERS some years ago to start providing a 
> leap second file in the format expected by ntpd, and in fact they did, and since 
> that time, an updated file was always available as soon as a new Bulletin C had 
> been published.
> 
> It was me who asked the folks at IERS a few years ago to start providing a leap 
> second file in the format expected by ntpd, and sure enough they did, and since 
> then an updated file has always been available immediately whenever a new 
> Bulletin C had been published.
> 
> I remember there has already been a discussion here about the "public domain" 
> requirement shortly after the IERS had started to provide their version of a 
> leap second file.
> 
> I have been in touch with some people at IERS who are working on this and they 
> have been very cooperative throughout.
> 
> I'm pretty sure they have no problem making the file "public domain" but the 
> question arises as to what wording should be used to express this in a way that 
> will be accepted by the TZ DB project.
> 
> Has anyone ever suggested a formulation that meets the requirement of the TZDB 
> project, and told them why this was a requirement? I have no doubt that the 
> folks at IERS would pick it up and integrate it.

I was in touch with them when they initially provided the files, about their 
often inconsistent validity and expiry dates and timestamps, often expiring 
before the next Bulletin C would be issued, until they standardized on 0Z on the 
Bulletin C issue date and the 28th of the last month of the half year following 
the expected date the next Bulletin C is issued.

I also raised the list's concerns resulting in retaining the NIST file, about 
using or providing copies of the IERS files, with no copyright or licence on the 
IERS files, lack of EU public domain, its copy, data, and moral rights, and 
suggested CC-0 or the EU government public data copyright and licence.

-- 
Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis              Calgary, Alberta, Canada

La perfection est atteinte                   Perfection is achieved
non pas lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à ajouter  not when there is no more to add
mais lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à retirer     but when there is no more to cut
                                 -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry