<font color="#006600"><font face="trebuchet ms,sans-serif">You are being paid to distribute a file, strictly speaking the contents of the file, and how it executes, are irrelevant to the contract. So unless the download failed or delivered a corrupted file, your end of the contract is upheld. You have not provided any express warranties as to the <i>functioning</i> of the software, and I believe GPL contains a waiver of warranties. Mind you, consumer protection law can sometimes imply terms into contracts, ones that can't necessarily be waived. I note that current draft EU legislation is extending normal consumer goods law (not just, as it traditionally has been, consumer services</font><font face="trebuchet ms,sans-serif"> law) to some forms of digital content. </font></font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; ">Here's the explanatory 'recital' to the draft as it stands:</span><div>
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#006600" face="'trebuchet ms', sans-serif"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P7-TA-2011-0116&language=EN">http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P7-TA-2011-0116&language=EN</a><br>
</font><div><div><font color="#006600" face="'trebuchet ms', sans-serif">(11e) Digital content transmitted to the consumer in a digital format, where the consumer obtains the possibility of use on a permanent basis or in a way similar to the physical possession of a good, should be treated as goods for the application of the provisions of this Directive which apply to sales contracts. However, a withdrawal right should only apply until the moment the consumer chooses to download the digital content.<br>
</font></div><div><font color="#006600" face="'trebuchet ms', sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font color="#006600" face="'trebuchet ms', sans-serif">I find this a very problematic way of phrasing things, though I by and large welcome anything that, for example, attempts to put ebook consumers on an equal rights footing as physical book consumers. I'm just not sure that how they've phrased this would do that.</font></div>
<div><font color="#006600" face="'trebuchet ms', sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><div class="gmail_quote">On 12 May 2011 08:46, Dale <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:netxe456@gmail.com" target="_blank">netxe456@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I’ve found
the definitive guide to the difference between Distribution and License fees. It’s
about GPL but I think the concept holds true for other open source licenses
like Artistic License as well</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><a href="http://www.miller-attorney.com/articles/MillerGNUGPL.pdf" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB">GNU GPL Distribution Fees and Their
Limitations</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB">,
</span><span lang="EN-US">by Benjamin Miller .</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">which <span></span>really verifies all suggestions posted in this thread
and especially </span><span><span lang="EN-GB">David Woolley</span></span><span><span lang="EN-US">’s one:</span></span><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">>>You
would probably have to only make the file </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">>>downloadable
after payment had been offered, otherwise it might be confused with <br></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">>>a license
fee. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Hats off to
David!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So if you can
sell open source software with a distribution fee (downloadable after payment
has been offered) what happens if the software has a bug or fails to run in the
user’s machine? Should you provide a refund? Like a 30day money back guarantee?</span></p><div><div></div><div>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, May 5, 2011 at 2:47 PM, Philippe Bradley <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:philbradley@gmail.com" target="_blank">philbradley@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>On 5 May 2011 11:38, Dale <<a href="mailto:netxe456@gmail.com" target="_blank">netxe456@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>>>"You would probably have to only make the file downloadable after payment<br>
>>> had been >>offered, otherwise it might be confused with a licence fee."<br>
> So if I set up a site and sell the package how can I be sure that I am only<br>
> charging for a Distribution fee? I see that the distinction is not that<br>
> clear<br>
<br>
</div>I think so long as you're not restricting the rights of the recipient<br>
of the software after they've been provided it (or at least, making<br>
them pay to loosen restrictions on their various rights to deal with<br>
it), you're in the clear.<br>
</blockquote></div><br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br></div>
</div></div>