From ilug-admin@linux.ie Wed Oct 9 10:54:29 2002 Return-Path: Delivered-To: zzzz@localhost.example.com Received: from localhost (jalapeno [127.0.0.1]) by example.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id BFED716F49 for ; Wed, 9 Oct 2002 10:52:38 +0100 (IST) Received: from jalapeno [127.0.0.1] by localhost with IMAP (fetchmail-5.9.0) for zzzz@localhost (single-drop); Wed, 09 Oct 2002 10:52:38 +0100 (IST) Received: from lugh.tuatha.org (postfix@lugh.tuatha.org [194.125.145.45]) by dogma.slashnull.org (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g98MeVK04957 for ; Tue, 8 Oct 2002 23:40:31 +0100 Received: from lugh.tuatha.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by lugh.tuatha.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3DBD0341E8; Tue, 8 Oct 2002 23:41:16 +0100 (IST) Delivered-To: linux.ie-ilug@localhost Received: from linuxmafia.com (linuxmafia.COM [198.144.195.186]) by lugh.tuatha.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6435B3410E for ; Tue, 8 Oct 2002 23:40:48 +0100 (IST) Received: from rick by linuxmafia.com with local (Exim 3.36 #1 (Debian)) id 17z34V-0008QK-00 for ; Tue, 08 Oct 2002 15:43:23 -0700 To: ilug@linux.ie Subject: Re: [ILUG] Interesting article on free software licences Message-Id: <20021008224312.GB11235@linuxmafia.com> References: <20021007101909.A16074@wanadoo.fr> <20021008215152.80676.qmail@web13904.mail.yahoo.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20021008215152.80676.qmail@web13904.mail.yahoo.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4i X-Mas: Bah humbug. From: Rick Moen Sender: ilug-admin@linux.ie Errors-To: ilug-admin@linux.ie X-Beenthere: ilug@linux.ie X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Irish Linux Users' Group List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: X-Original-Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 15:43:12 -0700 Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 15:43:12 -0700 X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-30.6 required=5.0 tests=AWL,IN_REP_TO,KNOWN_MAILING_LIST,QUOTED_EMAIL_TEXT, REFERENCES,REPLY_WITH_QUOTES,SIGNATURE_LONG_DENSE, T_NONSENSE_FROM_00_10,USER_AGENT,USER_AGENT_MUTT version=2.50-cvs X-Spam-Level: Quoting Paul Linehan (plinehan@yahoo.com): > The point here is that (under French law) the author can change the > terms of the licence arbitarily. This is because any granting of > rights by an author must be clearly delimited in terms of how long, > where, to whom, dates and times. The GPL and similar licences are explicitly permanent grants of rights attached to an instance of his work. (The other stuff mentioned concerns contract law, e.g., the required element of privity, etc.) > In the absence of such limitations, the original author has the right > to change his software back to closed on a whim. No, the author has the right to issue _additional_ instances under a different licence, such as a proprietary ("closed" [sic]) licence. > Rick Moen makes the point that it is not a sale but rather a granting > of rights which are not default. > > See the bit about even the granting of rights by an author having to > be explicitly specified - under French law. The analysis, here and elsewhere, concerns contract law. This isn't contract law. This isn't the first time copyright attorneys have stumbled on this subject. I'm sure it won't be the last. -- Cheers, "The front line of defense against such sophisticated Rick Moen viruses is a continually evolving computer operating rick@linuxmafia.com system that attracts the efforts of eager software developers." -- Bill Gates -- Irish Linux Users' Group: ilug@linux.ie http://www.linux.ie/mailman/listinfo/ilug for (un)subscription information. List maintainer: listmaster@linux.ie