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From: webber@brandx.rutgers.edu (Webber)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: COPYRIGHT NOTICES (on program sources, of course)
Message-ID: <330@brandx.rutgers.edu>
Date: Thu, 20-Aug-87 18:18:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: brandx.330
Posted: Thu Aug 20 18:18:37 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Aug-87 12:06:49 EDT
References: <6236@brl-smoke.ARPA> <25095@sun.uucp> <12133@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 36
Summary: con

In article <12133@bu-cs.BU.EDU>, tower@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Leonard H. Tower Jr.) writes:
> In article <25095@sun.uucp> chuq@sun.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) writes:
>  > In article <6236@brl-smoke.ARPA> gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn ) writes:
>  > >I've seen a lot of software posted to comp.sources.* recently
>  > >that include (attempted) Copyright notices.  I don't know what
>  > >the point of including such notices in broadcast code is, but
>  > >I've just been tossing it since if the copyright is legal I
>  > >cannot make a copy of it to compile, etc.  Please cut it out!
> 
> Maybe the moderators should do some filtering on copyright notices??

Moderators should not change copyright notices.  Moderators can always
refuse to post things that don't meet their ``standards''.  I would
back moderators being more picky about what they put in their groups
if there was a reasonable alternative place for people who disagree.

> ...My preference for this stuff is that software should be made freely
> redistributable, and be legally protected by Copyright Notices et.al.
> to keep it freely redistributable. ...

My preference is for people who give gifts to give them without
strings attached.  Using copyright to ensure that one's name is
always associated with a piece of software is akin to writing one's
name on a dollar bill before putting it in the collection plate.
Using copyright to alter the economics of software distribution is
interesting but (while perhaps done with good intension) is not
justified by the resulting confusion (fighting fire with fire means
putting out a fire with a flame thrower, which is something that 
doesn't seem like a particularly good idea).

[Of course those of you who were at one time part of the sources
mailing list will doubtless recall that I myself have used copyright
to ensure that my name was removed from the software should anyone
modify it.]

------- BOB (webber@aramis.rutgers.edu ; rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!webber)