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From: lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Re: Public Domain Netnews...
Message-ID: <4185@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Feb-87 17:19:33 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.4185
Posted: Mon Feb 23 17:19:33 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Feb-87 21:37:28 EST
References: <1312@hplabsc.UUCP> <4169@sdcrdcf.UUCP> <1987Feb20.114205.12298@sq.uucp>
Reply-To: lwall@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Larry Wall)
Organization: Unisys - System Development Group, Santa Monica
Lines: 34

I wrote:
>> The ONLY way to keep someone else from copyrighting and selling your code,
>> or a derivative of your code, is to copyright it yourself.

In article <1987Feb20.114205.12298@sq.uucp> msb@sq.UUCP (Mark Brader) writes:
>Hold it!  There are two different cases here.  It is NOT true that someone
>else can copyright something that you wrote and placed in the public domain.
>Only the author can claim, or assign away, a copyright.  Someone else
>can put a copyright notice on it, but at most this creates a burden
>of proof.  The existence of an earlier public domain copy invalidates the
>copyright claim.
>
>Derivative works are another matter.

I'm sorry I wasn't being clear.  I was concerned with whether you could
prevent someone from *selling* the code.  I wasn't really concerned with
whether the copyright is valid or not.  When I said "copyright" I was thinking
more of the act of putting a copyright notice in, such as Rick did in fact do.
Fuzzy writing on my part.  Grrr!!!

But I'm a firm believer that if the reader doesn't understand, it's the
writer's fault, so I'm not faulting you or Dave for not speaking to the
point I was trying to address.

Aside to Dave.  I thank you for the compliment.  I cultivate childishness
in my writing because I find it generally has the effect I desire--it
communicates a joy about living that generally makes people happier, and
more receptive to the truth.  Even with big, bad grownups who have forgotten
what joy is all about, it helps keep them from falling asleep at their
terminals.

As my Whimsy takes me,
Larry Wall
{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,sdcsvax}!sdcrdcf!lwall