From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Robert J. Chassell" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: CVS is the `released version' Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 15:39:56 +0000 (UTC) Message-ID: References: <2cd46e7f0705101124r72000f78xdf05d18ca815ca57@mail.gmail.com> <17991.47259.210100.801472@localhost.localdomain> <1179753516.46519c2c07a7c@webmail.freedom2surf.net> Reply-To: bob@rattlesnake.com NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1179762024 23317 80.91.229.12 (21 May 2007 15:40:24 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 15:40:24 +0000 (UTC) To: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon May 21 17:40:19 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1Hq9zZ-00077y-0U for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 17:40:13 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Hq9zY-0004ym-LZ for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 11:40:12 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Hq9zU-0004yO-Qq for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 11:40:08 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Hq9zS-0004xu-A7 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 11:40:08 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Hq9zR-0004xr-Sv for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 11:40:05 -0400 Original-Received: from cpe-69-205-32-54.nycap.res.rr.com ([69.205.32.54] helo=rattlesnake.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1Hq9zR-0000jd-9p for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 21 May 2007 11:40:05 -0400 Original-Received: by rattlesnake.com via sendmail from stdin id (Debian Smail3.2.0.115) Mon, 21 May 2007 15:39:56 +0000 (UTC) In-reply-to: <1179753516.46519c2c07a7c@webmail.freedom2surf.net> (jasonr@f2s.com) X-detected-kernel: Linux 2.4-2.6 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:71524 Archived-At: > ... Most programs, of course, are never used illegally. But a few > may be. This can be awkward. You're confused: unassigned, just means that the copyright is not assigned to the FSF. It may still be (and generally is) properly licensed under the GPL. No, I am not talking about those that are properly licensed. I am talking about the one -- that is all that is needed -- that is mis-copyrighted and is supported by an organization which decides to litigate, has lots of money, and does not mind losing. > Since all software in the United States is copyrighted on > creation, ... That sounds like making the tool responsible for the crime. ... No, it has to do with various ways of fighting to reduce excessive costs (including the time of people who are not lawyers thinking about this) for baseless litigation in the US. Thus, in a country that follows the international treaty, instead of a programmer making improvements to package.el, he might spend his time in court instead. As we are talking about emacs-lisp packages here, assuming the code to be Free is quite reasonable. That is not true if there is someone willing to spend several millions of dollars, does not mind the defenses, and likely losing ... -- Robert J. Chassell GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8 bob@rattlesnake.com bob@gnu.org http://www.rattlesnake.com http://www.teak.cc