[help-texinfo] error compiling texi to dvi, conflicting names with texinfo.tex?

[Marco Maggi]

Ciao,

  on  my x86_64-pc-linux-gnu  running  Slackware64 14.2,  I  am using  a
custom installation  of GNU  Automake 1.16.1 and  GNU Texinfo  6.6; when
building   and  installing   these   packages  I   accept  the   default
configuration  options.   I  am  also running  TeXlive  2018,  installed
sometimes around september 2018.

  I compile this document:

    \input texinfo.tex
    @c %**start of header
    @setfilename demo.info
    @settitle Demo
    @c %**end of header
    @set PACKAGE_HEADER blue.h
    @set PACKAGE_HEADER_FILE @address@hidden
    @node Top
    @top The demo
    @menu
    * demo:: Demo.
    @end menu
    @node demo
    @chapter Demo
    The @value{PACKAGE_HEADER_FILE} file.
    @bye

compiling with "makeinfo" works fine, compiling with "texi2dvi" fails:

$ TEXINPUTS=/usr/local/share/automake-1.16/: texi2dvi demo.texi
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-1.40.19 (TeX Live 2018) (preloaded 
format=etex)
 restricted \write18 enabled.
entering extended mode
(./demo.texi (/usr/local/share/automake-1.16/texinfo.tex
Loading texinfo [version 2018-02-12.17]: pdf, fonts, markup, glyphs,
page headings, tables, conditionals, indexing, sectioning, toc, environments,
defuns, macros, cross references, insertions, localization, formatting,
and turning on texinfo input format.) (The demo) (/home/marco/var/tmp/demo.aux)
Chapter 1 [1]
./demo.texi:20: Missing @endcsname inserted.
<to be read again>
                   @discretionary
<argument> ...normalunderscore @fi @discretionary
                                                  {}{}{}
@ifusingtt #1#2->@ifdim @fontdimen address@hidden =0pt #1
                                                 @else address@hidden
<argument> PACKAGE_
                   HEADER
@value #1->@expandafter @ifx @csname SET#1
                                          @endcsname @relax {[No value for `...

@tclose ...on @rawbackslash @plainfrenchspacing #1
                                                  address@hidden
...
l.20 The @value{PACKAGE_HEADER_FILE}
                                     file.
? q
OK, entering @batchmode/usr/local/bin/texi2dvi: etex exited with bad status, 
quitting.

  Notice that:

* If  in the  input file  I  replace "PACKAGE_HEADER"  with "BLUE":  the
  document compiles fine!

* If in  the input file  I replace "PACKAGE_HEADER"  with "BLUE_HEADER":
  the compilation fails with a similar error message.

  Am I doing something wrong, or is it an actual Texinfo bug?

TIA
-- 
Marco Maggi