Well, this is where you got it wrong - it's called IP (Intellectual Property) because it is a form of property. Whenever you produce a work of authorship (and software is considered a work of authorship like a novel or a poem) you, the author, are the owner of that work.
In the legal frame work there is no such thing as `intellectual property'. It is a term used to confuse people. Intellectual Property can mean anything from trademark law, to copyright law, to patents. None of which have anything related to each other. Neither of these things are a form of property, property laws are a totally different thing. I'd like to answer your message, but once again you mix up property with non-property so it is sadly impossible for me due to the continued mixups of different forms of law. A CD is property, yes. Code is not. If you give me a CD and tell me `you are not allowed to access the content on it', then I'm not allowed to do so, correct. But you cannot give me a CD, tell me that I can install the software on it on one machine, and then say `sorry, the GPL does not apply so you are not allowed to redistribute it'. _______________________________________________ Gnu-misc-discuss mailing list Gnu-misc-discuss@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss