[License-discuss] Companies that encourage license violations

Pamela Chestek pamela at chesteklegal.com
Sat Sep 5 17:47:23 UTC 2015


On 8/31/2015 5:42 PM, Kevin Fleming wrote:
> but in the end, you can only use the code under the license terms that
> were attached when you received it. If no license was attached, then
> you probably don't have any rights to use it at all.
I think this statement is a fallacy, but I'm happy to hear other
opinions. A license attaches to the intangible copyright, not to the
tangible copy of the work you received. So as long as I can show that
the same copyrighted work was available under a license, and that I am
in compliance with the license, then I am a licensed user no matter
where I got my copy of the work. The dual licensing scheme works because
of the lack of desire to comply with the terms of the alternate license
(going both ways, lack of interest in paying or lack of interest in
meeting the conditions of the FOSS license), not because of where you
got your copy of the code.

Pam

Pamela S. Chestek
Chestek Legal
PO Box 2492
Raleigh, NC 27602
919-800-8033
pamela at chesteklegal.com
www.chesteklegal.com



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