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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Russell, what you said is not true in the United States. I dare not speak to Canadian law. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>Russell wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>* What is the purpose of the copying or modification of the work. If the modifying is for making software compatible with other software, that is already an enumerated exception in Canada and does not require permission from the copyright holder. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In the US, the purpose of making software compatible is not allowed without a license. Ask Google and Oracle or the US Supreme Court to verify that. It requires permission from the copyright holder. But see the exception in 17 USC 117 below. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>If the copying is for backup purposes, that also doesn't need permission (and so-on with the various enumerated exceptions that already exist that would apply).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In the US, this is only true for the holder of a licensed copy. You can't backup a stolen or "found" copy without a license.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>* Where was it obtained from? "Somehow" is of course vague whether the source was infringing, which is a different scenario than a non-infringing source.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Yes, I was vague. Please refer to <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/117">17 USC 117</a>, which requires that the "continued possession" of the software be "rightful" and if the copy is made "by virtue of the activation of a machine that lawfully contains an authorized copy of the computer program" and for "purposes only of maintenance or repair of that machine." It only applies to make the program work "in accordance with its original specifications authorized for that machine." <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I don't make the law, nor does OSI or FSF. We merely obey it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I appreciate your discussion of preferred policies, but that has nothing to do with license-discuss@.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>Russell suggested:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>a) Work to amend the law in their jurisdiction such that private uses are a limitation or exception to copyright<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>b) Avoid using proprietary software licensed to regulate private uses<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>c) Advocate for the OSI and FSF to reject licenses which regulate private uses to avoid confusion with those which do not.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>d) if (c) fails, work with others to create a fork of the FSF or OSI for those of us who want to work with organizations that don't cross that "bridge too far" into allegedly protecting software freedom through regulating private uses.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Write a law review article somewhere and propose what you desire. Or create a fork of FSF or OSI for your purposes. But please don't change our law or our licenses without permission.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>/Larry<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>