Wired Article on the GPL
Matthew C. Weigel
weigel+ at pitt.edu
Thu Mar 30 21:53:52 UTC 2000
On Thu, 30 Mar 2000, John Cowan wrote:
> Remember that we are talking about the GPL here, not some random
> proprietary license. The GPL grants you permissions to take certain
> actions provided you meet certain conditions. The actions are copying,
> distributing, and making derivative works. You neither accept nor reject
> the GPL; it grants you permissions whether you want them or not.
Ummm... yes, you can accept or reject the GPL, if I understand it correctly.
You either accept the terms of the license -- the restrictions placed on
distribution, for instance -- or you don't, and if you don't, you have no
legal recourse for distribution.
I haven't been following this discussion too closely (I have, in fact, made
several attempts to unsubscribe per the directions sent to me when I
subscribed), but regardless of whether a license is very restrictive, and
regardless of whether the author of the license chooses to call it a
"copyleft," it's a license granting rights over copyrighted material. If
you choose to not accept the license, then you can't use the software.
Of course, there's no reason to *not* accept the GPL, if you're not planning
on doing any distribution or derivative works, since your use is not
restricted. But it's still an option.
> If the copyright owner revokes the permissions, you are probably out of
> luck.
Can a copyright owner revoke a license which has no 'revocation' clause? It
seems that other licenses, such as the APSL, were scrupulous in including
such a clause so as to be able to revoke the license.
Matthew Weigel
Programmer/Sysadmin/Student
weigel+ at pitt.edu
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