Anthony DeRobertis said: > (Sec. 201(a)): > Copyright in a work protected under this title vests initially > in the author or authors of the work. The authors of a joint > work are coowners of copyright in the work. > > So, I wonder, how many open-source works qualify as joint works? There > would certainly be some benefits (e.g., making clear who can sue for > copyright infringement --- any of the authors) but some serious > downsides too (like any of the authors being able to grant > non-exclusive licenses, without the other authors' consent).
I don't think one coowner would be able to change the license terms of the work as a whole without the consent of the other coowners. Real property that is co-owned requires consent of all owners to be transferred (such as a house that is coowned by husband and wife, etc). --Joe
