From: "Nick Roberts" <nickroberts@callnetuk.com>
Subject: Re: GPL and "free" software
Date: 1999/04/26
Date: 1999-04-26T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <3723c38b@eeyore.callnetuk.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 7fudch$hsv$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com
Wading rather trepidly into this issue, and with the understanding that I am
not any kind of legal expert (in UK or US law), I have wondered if there is
a potential problem with the GPL and similar licences, which I'll try to
describe.
Suppose party B obtains a work (of software), under the GPL, from party A
(paying nothing for it). Then suppose party B modifies this work to form a
work which they then sell to party C (who is not aware of its GPL heritage)
for a substantial amount of money.
Now, suppose party C subsequently discovers the fact that the work is
derived from a GPL work; what can they do? It seems to me that if party C
attempts to sue B, B can argue that C is not the injured party, because it
is not C's licence who's terms were breached. On the other hand, it seems
to me that if party A attempts to sue B (on behalf of C), B can argue that A
(or any other party, for that matter) has not suffered any financial loss,
and so are not entitled to any compensation (except, perhaps, for court
costs and legal fees).
Please accept my apologies if this point: has been previously discussed to
death; is actually trivial, naive, or sophistic; is considered inappropriate
to comp.lang.ada or gnu.misc.discuss.
-------------------------------------
Nick Roberts
-------------------------------------
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1999-04-26 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 162+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1999-04-20 0:00 air traffic control software Terry J. Westley
1999-04-21 0:00 ` Kevin Rigotti
1999-04-21 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-21 0:00 ` GPL and "free" software (was: air traffic control software) Terry J. Westley
1999-04-21 0:00 ` dennison
1999-04-21 0:00 ` bill
1999-04-23 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-23 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-23 0:00 ` Tom Moran
1999-04-24 0:00 ` Florian Weimer
1999-04-25 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Nick Roberts [this message]
1999-04-26 0:00 ` GPL and "free" software Florian Weimer
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Tim Smith
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Tim Smith
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-27 0:00 ` David Kastrup
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
[not found] ` <7g5qgg$n7t@www.inetnow.net>
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
[not found] ` <7g7ro3$q91@www.inetnow.net>
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
[not found] ` <7g8ip8$skl@www.inetnow.net>
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-29 0:00 ` [Offtopic for cl.ada] " Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Aidan Skinner
1999-05-08 0:00 ` dewarr
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Richard E. Hawkins Esq.
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Richard E. Hawkins Esq.
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Roger Espel Llima
1999-05-07 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-07 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-07 0:00 ` dennison
1999-04-29 0:00 ` David Starner
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
[not found] ` <7gdv6m$1fid$1@Mercury.mcs.net>
1999-05-03 0:00 ` [O/T 4 cla] " Joshua E. Rodd
[not found] ` <7gkmt5$e8t@www.inetnow.net>
1999-05-03 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
[not found] ` <7gnb7u$hlu@www.inetnow.net>
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-08 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-08 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-11 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-04 0:00 ` James Youngman
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-04 0:00 ` James Youngman
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-07 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-05-08 0:00 ` dewarr
1999-05-18 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Samuel Mize
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Samuel Mize
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Fraser Wilson
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-29 0:00 ` David Starner
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29 0:00 ` David Starner
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Ed Avis
[not found] ` <R5qW2.242$jw4.22063@burlma1-snr2>
[not found] ` <372ADEED.D907754@doc.ic.ac.uk>
1999-05-03 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Peter Seebach
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-08 0:00 ` dewarr
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Alan Braggins
1999-05-01 0:00 ` Phil Hunt
1999-05-02 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-05-02 0:00 ` Phil Hunt
1999-05-02 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-05-03 0:00 ` dennison
1999-05-02 0:00 ` Ole-Hjalmar Kristensen
1999-05-02 0:00 ` Andy Isaacson
1999-05-03 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-30 0:00 ` spblunt
1999-04-30 0:00 ` David Kastrup
1999-04-27 0:00 ` spblunt
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26 0:00 ` spblunt
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Tim Smith
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Kenneth P. Turvey
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-02 0:00 ` Mitch Blevins
1999-05-02 0:00 ` Sam Holden
1999-05-03 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Phil Hunt
1999-04-27 0:00 ` David Kastrup
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Richard E. Hawkins Esq.
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Phil Hunt
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Ronald Cole
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-23 0:00 ` GPL and "free" software (was: air traffic control software) Larry Kilgallen
1999-04-23 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
[not found] ` <DXqW2.244$jw4.22256@burlma1-snr2>
[not found] ` <7gdln1$vna$1@jetsam.uits.indiana.edu>
[not found] ` <372ADFBD.4F4C241B@doc.ic.ac.uk>
1999-05-01 0:00 ` GPL and "free" software Lynn Winebarger
[not found] ` <7gff2f$8o2@www.inetnow.net>
1999-05-01 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-05-03 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
[not found] ` <m2zp3pat3q.fsf@mailhost.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de>
1999-05-03 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Larry Kilgallen
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-05-03 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
[not found] ` <7gdd9e$36l$1@flotsam.uits.indiana.edu>
[not found] ` <372ADF48.B3C88507@doc.ic.ac.uk>
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
1999-05-07 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
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