[License-discuss] Can copyrights be abandoned to the public domain?

[Russ Nelson]

And yet we know that bridges collapse. Is it reasonable to take steps
against bridges collapsing? We (mostly) don't build bridges out of
wood (software from moral rights countries), but instead out of steel
and concrete (countries where people cannot retroactively change the
license on open source software).

Lawrence Rosen writes:
 > Russ Nelson asked:
 > > Larry, have you ever been driving over a bridge that collapsed?
 > 
 > Not that I can recall. :-) Out of fear of that very result, though, I
 > support increased infrastructure spending by our government.
 > 
 > But I don't stress out every time I drive over a bridge or when I use open
 > source software that is owned by an individual who wants to reserve her
 > moral rights. Indeed, I respect moral rights in the ways that I license and
 > use open source software and I advise respectful attribution whenever
 > appropriate. Does the protection of moral rights require anything onerous of
 > you?
 > 
 > Best,
 > 
 > /Larry
 > 
 > -----Original Message-----
 > From: Russ Nelson [mailto:nelson at crynwr.com] 
 > Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2012 10:43 PM
 > To: license-discuss at opensource.org
 > Subject: Re: [License-discuss] Can copyrights be abandoned to the public
 > domain?
 > 
 > Larry, have you ever been driving over a bridge that collapsed?
 > -russ
 > 
 > Lawrence Rosen writes:
 >  > Russ, have you ever experienced that inferiority in actual open source
 > software? 
 >  >
 >  > /Larry (from my tablet and brief)
 >  >
 >  > Russ Nelson <nelson at crynwr.com> wrote:
 >  >
 >  > >Oleksandr Gavenko writes:
 >  > > >       Moral Rights:
 >  > >
 >  > >Only some countries claim Moral Rights. And as you point out, this is  >
 > >very problemmatic for Open Source Software. We have traditionally held  >
 > >that a license is a license is a license, but it's clear that OSI  >
 > >Approved Open Source contributions from people who live in countries  >
 > >that claim Moral Rights is inferior to people who live in countries  >
 > >which don't.
 >  > >
 >  > >-- 
 >  > >--my blog is at    http://blog.russnelson.com
 >  > >Crynwr supports open source software  > >521 Pleasant Valley Rd. | +1
 > 315-600-8815
 >  > >Potsdam, NY 13676-3213  |     Sheepdog       
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