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From: ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Selling of free software
Message-ID: <7292@star.cs.vu.nl>
Date: 12 Aug 90 17:14:21 GMT
References: <7268@star.cs.vu.nl> <1990Aug10.170521.9435@zoo.toronto.edu> <9849@galapas.ai.mit.edu>
Sender: news@cs.vu.nl
Organization: Fac. Wiskunde & Informatica, VU, Amsterdam
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In article <9849@galapas.ai.mit.edu> jla@ai.mit.edu (Joseph Arceneaux) writes:
>I recomend using Copyleft if you intend to make a contribution of your
>code to society.  If your intent is indeed to benefit others with your
>program, then Copyleft will ensure that no one can eventually prohibit
>some group from thus benefitting.
If you release your software into the public domain, nobody, not even the
original author, can ever prevent anyone from using it in any way, ever.
If that is your intention, then a statement simply putting the code into
the public domain is enough.

The GNU copyleft has a very serious problem of creating legal obligations
on the part of anyone using it.  I have very carefully avoided using any
GNU software in MINIX as well as in Amoeba, even though technically I might
have been willing.  Although the intention of copyleft may have been to
make sure the software was always available to the public, for me it has
had just the opposite effect.  I can live with public domain and I can
live with copyrighted software plus a statement in the code or in a side
letter granting permission to use it, but a legal, enforceable obligation
to do ANYTHING is going to make any lawyer, including P-H's, sit up and
take notice.  What exactly, have they contracted to do, what have they
gotten in return, what record keeping do they have to maintain to defend
a lawsuit, how much in damages might they be liable for, and more.
It is anything but simple.

Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)