Re: New Project: COPYRIGHT HOWTO.
Some time around 03 Jun 1998 23:25:12 +0200, Jens Ritter wrote: Hallo all, as a lot of us developers have to deal with copyright problems, I would like to start this (hopefully) littly project. I would like to write a COPYRIGHT HOWTO, which might be send to authors of software, which a) do not state what copyright is associated with their software and b) who do not use a free (enough) license. This is a very good idea. Don't forget to take a look at http://www.debian.org/intro/free.html . This is an excellent introduction to freeness/licensing and it has some of the information you are trying to gather. I've been using it in my conversations about copyright with non-free software authors. -- Proudly running Debian Linux! Linux vs. Windows is a no-Win situation Igor Grobman [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: New Project: COPYRIGHT HOWTO.
On Wed, Jun 03, 1998 at 11:25:12PM +0200, Jens Ritter wrote: Hallo all, as a lot of us developers have to deal with copyright problems, I would like to start this (hopefully) littly project. This sounds like an interesting idea. I would like to write a COPYRIGHT HOWTO, which might be send to authors of software, which a) do not state what copyright is associated with their software and b) who do not use a free (enough) license. What should be in there: 1. A discussion what is necessary to constitute a Copyright and License for a program (Do you have to state copyright in every file, is a COPYRIGHT file in the top directory enough, is a Copyright line in an LSM file enough, etc.). This all sounds good...and as being associated with debian I understand your focus on free software licenses, and I definitly myself feel that free software licences are far superior. I think what needs to be included is also info about non-free licences. It would be good to see a nice guide...what needs to be spelled out explicitly in a licence? what is assumed true as long as nothing explicitly states otherwise? etc Information on both free and non-free licences is important...it should be usefull for everyone. It woul dbe nice to see some example licences and what they mean, and espcially their pitfalls (like for instance some peopel find they don't like the GPL cuz its not free enough for them) _4._ Big disclaimer, as we are not lawyers. :-) This is of course good...and probably necissary (I have often wondered if such disclaimers are really needed or just the result of peoples misguided paranoia) I think it woul dbe nice to write it and then find a way to have a copyright lawyer who is willing to help out read it over and give it aquick check for the validity of its statements. I think it is important to stress a licence which is carefully worded such that it allows and dissalows what the author wishes to do so with, and also is not complete overkill (for instance I think the GPL is a good example of overkill) Also I think Public Domain should be mentioned...and what it means to place something in the public domain (my understanding is that that means a person who writes a piece of software explicitly gives up all rights to it which a copyright would give them) -Steve -- ** Stephen Carpenter ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** [EMAIL PROTECTED] ** Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth -- Thomas Edison pgpGvOGGOReP9.pgp Description: PGP signature
Re: New Project: COPYRIGHT HOWTO. -Reply
The idea of having a copyright lawyer look it over once it is written sound excellent. I work for a large law firm that has a copyright and IP practice group, an I am sure that (since I work in the OS dept. and they all LOVE me :-]) that I could talk one of the lawyers in that group into loking over it real quick-like once it is finished. [EMAIL PROTECTED] 06/03/98 11:59pm On Wed, Jun 03, 1998 at 11:25:12PM +0200, Jens Ritter wrote: Hallo all, as a lot of us developers have to deal with copyright problems, I would like to start this (hopefully) littly project. This sounds like an interesting idea. I would like to write a COPYRIGHT HOWTO, which might be send to authors of software, which a) do not state what copyright is associated with their software and b) who do not use a free (enough) license. What should be in there: 1. A discussion what is necessary to constitute a Copyright and License for a program (Do you have to state copyright in every file, is a COPYRIGHT file in the top directory enough, is a Copyright line in an LSM file enough, etc.). This all sounds good...and as being associated with debian I understand your focus on free software licenses, and I definitly myself feel that free software licences are far superior. I think what needs to be included is also info about non-free licences. It would be good to see a nice guide...what needs to be spelled out explicitly in a licence? what is assumed true as long as nothing explicitly states otherwise? etc Information on both free and non-free licences is important...it should be usefull for everyone. It woul dbe nice to see some example licences and what they mean, and espcially their pitfalls (like for instance some peopel find they don't like the GPL cuz its not free enough for them) _4._ Big disclaimer, as we are not lawyers. :-) This is of course good...and probably necissary (I have often wondered if such disclaimers are really needed or just the result of peoples misguided paranoia) I think it woul dbe nice to write it and then find a way to have a copyright lawyer who is willing to help out read it over and give it aquick check for the validity of its statements. I think it is important to stress a licence which is carefully worded such that it allows and dissalows what the author wishes to do so with, and also is not complete overkill (for instance I think the GPL is a good example of overkill) Also I think Public Domain should be mentioned...and what it means to place something in the public domain (my understanding is that that means a person who writes a piece of software explicitly gives up all rights to it which a copyright would give them) -Steve -- ** Stephen Carpenter ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** [EMAIL PROTECTED] ** Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth -- Thomas Edison -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: New Project: COPYRIGHT HOWTO. -Reply -Reply
Er...make that IS dept (they have VERY different meanings :-]) Gregory Dickinson [EMAIL PROTECTED] 06/04/98 08:16am The idea of having a copyright lawyer look it over once it is written sound excellent. I work for a large law firm that has a copyright and IP practice group, an I am sure that (since I work in the OS dept. and they all LOVE me :-]) that I could talk one of the lawyers in that group into loking over it real quick-like once it is finished. [EMAIL PROTECTED] 06/03/98 11:59pm On Wed, Jun 03, 1998 at 11:25:12PM +0200, Jens Ritter wrote: Hallo all, as a lot of us developers have to deal with copyright problems, I would like to start this (hopefully) littly project. This sounds like an interesting idea. I would like to write a COPYRIGHT HOWTO, which might be send to authors of software, which a) do not state what copyright is associated with their software and b) who do not use a free (enough) license. What should be in there: 1. A discussion what is necessary to constitute a Copyright and License for a program (Do you have to state copyright in every file, is a COPYRIGHT file in the top directory enough, is a Copyright line in an LSM file enough, etc.). This all sounds good...and as being associated with debian I understand your focus on free software licenses, and I definitly myself feel that free software licences are far superior. I think what needs to be included is also info about non-free licences. It would be good to see a nice guide...what needs to be spelled out explicitly in a licence? what is assumed true as long as nothing explicitly states otherwise? etc Information on both free and non-free licences is important...it should be usefull for everyone. It woul dbe nice to see some example licences and what they mean, and espcially their pitfalls (like for instance some peopel find they don't like the GPL cuz its not free enough for them) _4._ Big disclaimer, as we are not lawyers. :-) This is of course good...and probably necissary (I have often wondered if such disclaimers are really needed or just the result of peoples misguided paranoia) I think it woul dbe nice to write it and then find a way to have a copyright lawyer who is willing to help out read it over and give it aquick check for the validity of its statements. I think it is important to stress a licence which is carefully worded such that it allows and dissalows what the author wishes to do so with, and also is not complete overkill (for instance I think the GPL is a good example of overkill) Also I think Public Domain should be mentioned...and what it means to place something in the public domain (my understanding is that that means a person who writes a piece of software explicitly gives up all rights to it which a copyright would give them) -Steve -- ** Stephen Carpenter ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** [EMAIL PROTECTED] ** Maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth -- Thomas Edison -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: New Project: COPYRIGHT HOWTO. -Reply
On 04-Jun-98 Gregory Dickinson wrote: The idea of having a copyright lawyer look it over once it is written sound excellent. I work for a large law firm that has a copyright and IP practice group, an I am sure that (since I work in the OS dept. and they all LOVE me :-]) that I could talk one of the lawyers in that group into loking over it real quick-like once it is finished. While this thread is running, it occurs to me to ask: Has the GPL ever been tested in a court case? If so, what was[were] the outcome[s]? Best wishes to all, Ted. E-Mail: (Ted Harding) [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 04-Jun-98 Time: 17:07:37 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
New Project: COPYRIGHT HOWTO.
Hallo all, as a lot of us developers have to deal with copyright problems, I would like to start this (hopefully) littly project. I would like to write a COPYRIGHT HOWTO, which might be send to authors of software, which a) do not state what copyright is associated with their software and b) who do not use a free (enough) license. What should be in there: 1. A discussion what is necessary to constitute a Copyright and License for a program (Do you have to state copyright in every file, is a COPYRIGHT file in the top directory enough, is a Copyright line in an LSM file enough, etc.). 1a. Why to make the effort. 2. A brief discussion of what does free mean in the software sense. 2a. Why to make it free. 3. A brief discussion of some of the different licenses. 3a. Some of the licenses. _4._ Big disclaimer, as we are not lawyers. :-) As I haven´t got enough knowledge to write this whole thing, I would like to have some input. Any hints and pointers to web sites are greatly appreciated. Below is a short list of urls attached, where I found some information about this theme (and still have to read :-( much). Feel free to modify the list above. Maybe you´ve got some other information regarding this, please send them to [EMAIL PROTECTED], or [EMAIL PROTECTED] (or to this list) TIA, Jens P.S.: Do we need something like this? http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/LICENSES/theory.html http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/why-free.html http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/categories.html http://arl.cni.org/info/frn/copy/treaty.html For german readers: http://www.yahoo.de/Computer_und_Internet/Internet/Politik/Recht/ --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Key ID: 2048/E451C639 Jens Ritter Key fingerprint: 5F 3D 43 1E 24 1E CC 48 1E 05 93 3A A7 10 73 37 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
