Interesting Microsoft license clause re open source

John Cowan cowan at mercury.ccil.org
Thu Jun 28 02:50:02 UTC 2001


Ravicher, Daniel B. scripsit:

> I'm genuinely curious how you would respond to someone who made these
> arguments against any one of the open source licenses since they too don't
> require a signature or for someone to give a verbal "OK".  What if someone
> said "Just because the GPL says I'm under an agreement does not make it so."

That's because the GPL is IMHO not really a contract, but an act of power by the
copyright holder.  "I permit you to copy, distribute, etc. provided you
obey my rules."  It is more like a conditional permission like
"You may live in a tent on my land as long as you clean up after yourself."

IANAL, as everybody here should know by now.

-- 
John Cowan                                   cowan at ccil.org
One art/there is/no less/no more/All things/to do/with sparks/galore
	--Douglas Hofstadter



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