From: les@MCS.COM (Leslie Mikesell)
Subject: Re: [O/T 4 cla] Re: GPL and "free" software
Date: 1999/05/11
Date: 1999-05-11T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <7ha31n$htn$1@Mercury.mcs.net> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 7h97qi$t1j$1@nnrp1.deja.com
In article <7h97qi$t1j$1@nnrp1.deja.com>,
Robert Dewar <robert_dewar@my-dejanews.com> wrote:
>In article <7h8aqf$4nm$1@Mercury.mcs.net>,
> les@MCS.COM (Leslie Mikesell) wrote:
>> Is the orginal modification legal? Would it be legal for the
>> author of the modification to come over and retype it for you?
>> How about dictating the edit commands to you over the phone as
>> you modify your own copy? This is exactly the function the
>> patch file performs. I don't see how one way of performing
>> these changes can be treated any differently than the others -
>> they are really all the same.
>
>I assume you are speaking as an attorney, or at least an expert
>in the copyright field, so it would be useful if you would cite
>some basis for your legal opinions.
Of course not - this is usenet. Anything goes here. But I
do have a pretty good understanding of what a patch actually
does.
>I continue to think that the abstraction process would
>immediately indicate that the patch file was a derived work
>in the normal sense of the meaning of this term.
How? After applying the patch you would have a derived
work. The patch itself is just replaying the keystrokes used
to type in the modifications.
>Once again,
>I do not see how the filter-compare-abstraction cycle could
>be applied to the patch file without reference to the original.
>Remember that you have to get all the way to the top in this
>cycle -- to something like "write a compiler" ...
Sure, but a patch that represents the original best is
an empty file. How can an empty file be illegal to copy?
The non-empty portion of a patch file does not represent
the original content.
>Can you coordinate your viewpoint with the specific court cases
>involved here (I assume you are familiar with them ...)
No, I don't think there has been anything similar. The GPL is
a rather strange beast and when you combine that with the fact
that people are allowed to get their own copies without first
agreeing to a license you have a unique situation.
Les Mikesell
les@mcs.com
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1999-05-11 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 ` Larry Kilgallen
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 ` GPL and "free" software Nick Roberts
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Tim Smith
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Florian Weimer
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 ` spblunt
1999-04-27 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
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$hlu@www.inetnow.net>
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-08 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-08 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-11 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell [this message]
1999-05-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-10 0:00 ` Leslie Mikesell
1999-05-04 0:00 ` James Youngman
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-04 0:00 ` James Youngman
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-05-06 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-07 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-05-08 0:00 ` dewarr
1999-05-18 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
[not found] ` <7g7ro3$q91@www.inetnow.net>
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Aidan Skinner
[not found] ` <7g8ip8$skl@www.inetnow.net>
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-29 0:00 ` [Offtopic for cl.ada] " Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-05-08 0:00 ` dewarr
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Samuel Mize
1999-04-28 0:00 ` Samuel Mize
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Paul Hughett
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Fraser Wilson
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29 0:00 ` David Starner
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Joshua E. Rodd
1999-04-29 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-29 0:00 ` David Starner
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Ed Avis
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
1999-04-30 0:00 ` Ed Avis
[not found] ` <R5qW2.242$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 ` Barry Margolin
1999-05-08 0:00 ` dewarr
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Peter Seebach
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
1999-04-30 0:00 ` spblunt
1999-04-30 0:00 ` David Kastrup
1999-04-26 0:00 ` spblunt
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 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-27 0:00 ` Lynn Winebarger
1999-05-05 0:00 ` Richard E. Hawkins Esq.
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-04-26 0:00 ` Barry Margolin
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
[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 ` 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 ` Ed Avis
1999-05-04 0:00 ` Larry Kilgallen
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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