From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_20,INVALID_MSGID
	autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 1025b4,43ae7f61992b3213
X-Google-Attributes: gid1025b4,public
X-Google-Thread: 103376,faf964ea4531e6af
X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public
From: Barry Margolin <barmar@bbnplanet.com>
Subject: Re: GPL and "free" software
Date: 1999/05/04
Message-ID: <YjGX2.341$jw4.27311@burlma1-snr2>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 473988149
Distribution: world
References: <7fibd5$jc7$1@news2.tor.accglobal.net>
 <372ADEED.D907754@doc.ic.ac.uk> <372E3B77.2E6EA08@iiinet.dhs.org>
 <372F2C65.4B7663C5@doc.ic.ac.uk>
X-Abuse-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly
X-Complaints-To: abuse@gte.net
X-Trace: 
 /bdhN792iENkU+WXcBN4JKTxXFEO/40T7oRHBA6FugkzOKKgByOUzn98J6tNRqCXkJduzRif6Djc!haWI0mKIYKVu7YtGKjIq/go6NcnBJbgj/4xEeaiT6Lor6bRzIfBpuLNIkc2vGg==
Organization: GTE Internetworking, Cambridge, MA
X-Copies-To: never
NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 04 May 1999 17:42:16 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,gnu.misc.discuss
Originator: barmar@bbnplanet.com (Barry Margolin)
Date: 1999-05-04T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

In article <372F2C65.4B7663C5@doc.ic.ac.uk>,
Ed Avis  <epa98@doc.ic.ac.uk> wrote:
>An object file is several thousand rather long integers.  I meant that
>something like:
>
>#define BUFFER_SIZE 1000
>#define MAX_THINGIES 6
>
>probably isn't copyrightable, especially once you strip away the names
>and are just left with the pair of integers '1000, 6'.  You could make
>an enormous header file with #define FIRST_INSTRUCTION 0x28a45e92,
>#define SECOND_INSTRUCTION 0xf3485dea, and so on, which would be big
>enough to copyright.  Of course, IANAL.

It certainly is copyrightable.  The choice of names is a significant part
of programming.  A header file that says:

#define ASDFASDF 1000
#define LKJLKJLK 6

is quite different from the above file.

IANAL, so I don't know how much punishment could be exacted for infringing
the copyright of such a small amount of code, but I think it's *still*
copyright infringement, just as taking a 50-cent candy bar is still theft.

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar@bbnplanet.com
GTE Internetworking, Powered by BBN, Burlington, MA
*** DON'T SEND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO ME, post them to newsgroups.
Please DON'T copy followups to me -- I'll assume it wasn't posted to the group.