It sounds so wonderful to just release software into the public domain. This is potentially dangerous not only for the creator but the downstream users as well.
Why? First of all, there is *no* way to relinquish ownership of copyrights before the expiration date 90+ years into the future. All you can do is create a contract/license for your users. e.g. "I hereby grant this software for anyone to use for any purpose." The trojan horse in this "license" is that there is nothing preventing me from revoking it after you build a multimillion dollar business based on it. Yikes! ***You have to make sure the license says you have those right as long as the copyright lasts***. When someone like SQLite or Qmail projects claim their software is public domain, that just isn't true. All they can do is craft a license that effectively *feels* like the real public domain 90-100+ years in the future. Think about that before you get warm fuzzies about so called faux "public domain" works such as SQLite or Qmail. *You must look at the license!* Furthermore, the creator is responsible in the slim chance of "harm" being caused by the released work....unless you explicitly state in a well developed open source LICENSE that the work disclaims any warranties. So please, don't think you or anyone is being clever by releasing software in the public domain. Rather, use a well vetted license like MIT, Apache or GPL before you accidentaly legally blow your leg off. Chris -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
