[License-discuss] Looking for a license agreement.

[Rudy Lippan]

On Thursday, October 06, 2011 at 05:59:45 PM, John Cowan wrote:
> Rudy Lippan scripsit:
> 
> > But if I "own" the the software (copy machine), could I state that as a 
> > condition of my allowing you to use the software that you will read the 
> > "requirements"(title page) of the components (books) and agree to abide by
> > what it says before using it with the software (making a photocopy)?
> 
> Sure, but it seems to me better to make that self-enforcing as a result of
> using the right kinds of licenses on the content.  The default assumption
> is that if someone gives you content, they have the right to do so.


I think I may have confused the issue with the unfortunate choice of the Title
page. Instead, lets say I build a library and allow people to place their
rare books in the library, most of which are old and in the public domain.
The owners of the physical copy of the  books put on the inside cover a sticky-
note (archival quality, of course) detailing restrictions on the use.  As a
condition of using the library, you have to respect the notes the book owners
place on their books.

Maybe what I am trying to do is overkill and idealistic, but I thought it would
be nice to attempt to leverage the loss of being able to use an application
(along with a possible copyright infringement lawsuit) to protect the people 
who's contributions might be significant but not up to the level of copyrightable IP.

Take, for example, an intern who takes a week to do something that an experience
sysadmin can do in a day.  The intern is allowed to retain rights to the work
and decides to release it tagged for non-commercial use.  It would be pretty
crappy for an organization to use it as the basis of project because they
know would prevail in court (or more likely, when they find out after the fact 
that an employee used it and decide to brush off the author when the conditions
of use are brought to their attention).


-r