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From: Barry Margolin <barmar@bbnplanet.com>
Subject: Re: GPL and "free" software
Date: 1999/05/03
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Originator: barmar@bbnplanet.com (Barry Margolin)
Date: 1999-05-03T00:00:00+00:00
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In article <7gdln1$vna$1@jetsam.uits.indiana.edu>,
Lynn Winebarger <owinebar@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu> wrote:
>   I doubt the macros in standard header files (at least the ones I've seen)
>would get much in the way of copyright protection, because they are
>usually very functional in nature.  I agree that templates are a
>different matter.  I think a sufficiently creative peice of macro code
>would get copyright protection, but for string copying macros and the
>like, I have my doubts.

Well, if AT&T could claim copyright on an *empty* shell script (/bin/true),
I expect they'd think that a header file also deserves copyright
protection.  Whether either of these is legally defensible, I can't say
(the copyright notice in /bin/true was presumably the result of someone
mechanically inserting copyright notices in all the shell scripts installed
with the system, rather than someone consciously deciding that this empty
script needs protection).

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar@bbnplanet.com
GTE Internetworking, Powered by BBN, Burlington, MA
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