On Thursday 14 July 2005 09:16 am, Humberto Massa Guimarães wrote: > Because it takes away the rights the GPL already gave to the > recipient: the right to use the software, without having to agree to > nothing at all.
If you come upon the program on someone else's computer, and that someone else has consented to the GPL, then you're right on the money... that person does not have to agree to the GPL to just simply use the software. But I'm not talking about USE, I'm talking about the possession of a copy of the code. You are not permitted to have a copy of the code without permission under the law. Period, end of story, except no substitutions. I have already acknowledge the interesting legal argument that you do not need permission to hold a copy if you get it from a distributor who has permission to distribute, but I'm not convinced and I have asked some smarter people than myself to look into it (they happen to be out of the office right now... so any response may take a while). But absent that theory, there is nothing that grants you the right to 'apt-get install GPL PROGRAM' other than the GPL itself. -Sean -- Sean Kellogg 3rd Year - University of Washington School of Law Graduate & Professional Student Senate Treasurer UW Service & Activities Committee Interim Chair w: http://probonogeek.blogspot.com So, let go ...Jump in ...Oh well, what you waiting for? ...it's all right ...'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
