copyrights

[Chris Gehlker]

On 11/6/01 11:17 AM, "DeBug" <debug at centras.lt> wrote:

>>> "THIS SOFTWARE IS NOT COPYRIGHTABLE"
> 
> JC> There is no such thing as software which is not copyrighted,
> JC> unless it exists only in your imagination.  As soon as a text
> JC> of any sort is written down, unless it is a mere alphabetical
> JC> list of words or such, it is inherently copyrighted by the
> JC> author.
> That's awfull !!!
> 
> How do you prove in court that this is your software and that it is
> your right to decide how other people use it?
> Well really how do you prove it is your work(and control right) and nobody
> else?

The easiest way is to spend $30 and register it with the Copyright office.
They save a copy and record the date. But my understanding is that if you
don't do that and your copyright is challenged, you can present any evidence
you want. For example, "I posted the code to comp.lang.c++ and here is a
copy in the Google archive with the date.

> What is awfull is that I want to make my software not controlled
> (no one has the right to say how other people use it) - i simply do
> not put any notes about the author, make it anonymous work.
> Now it seems to be impossible to make software not copyrightable
> because someone else can write his name and claim it was he
> who wrote the software.

If you want to to be available to everyone for any purpose, use the BSD
license. It says pretty much "you can do whatever you want with this except
claim that you wrote it."

-- 
Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers.
-Mignon McLaughlin, author

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