Stefaan A Eeckels wrote: > > On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:13:59 -0400 > Al Klein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > [alt.comp.freeware dropped]
Restored (just to annoy curious Susan and others topicality police volunteers). > > > On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 14:53:19 +0200, Stefaan A Eeckels > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > >But unless you talk about a box in a shop, software isn't "any > > >product in commerce". > > > > It's *A* product in commerce. Whether the method of transport is the > > postal service, your arm reaching for a box on the shelf or a download > > is irrelevant to the fact that it's a product in commerce. > > Software is -recognised by the fact that it's covered by copyright- > a means of expression. Free software is like free speech, and a product Free speech is a concept of being able to freely express ideas (speak freely without censorship, etc.). http://www.charvolant.org/~doug/gpl/gpl.pdf ------ If free speech is taken to mean the right to express an idea then free software has very little to do with free speech. In software terms, free speech means the right to write a program or library that performs certain tasks. Free software does nothing to protect the right to write a program about something, although most subscribers to the free software ideal would, presumably, support such a right. ------ In Eldred v. Ashcroft (which the FSF board directors Lessig and Moglen lost miserably), writing for the majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg maintained: "First Amendment securely protects the freedom to make--or decline to make--one's own speech; it bears less heavily when speakers assert the right to make other people's speeches. To the extent such assertions raise First Amendment concerns, copyright's built-in free speech safeguards are generally adequate to address them." regards, alexander. _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
