Dual licensing

[John Cowan]

dlw scripsit:

> Any attempt to regulate copyright rewards outside of
> contractual privity is preempted by sec. 301 of the
> Copyright Act regardless of the philosophical
> underpinnings of "free as in 'freedom' software".

That turns out not to be the case.

> I am attracted to the philosophical principle of free
> software and "copyleft", unfortunately that kind of
> licensing is not possible under current law.

Put your money where your mouth is.  Reuse FSF-copyrighted software
in a proprietary product, and invite the FSF to sue you.  You'll make
a jim-dandy test case.

> Even worse is the fact that the exponentially growing pool
> of software utility patents and their attendant "field of use"
> restrictions without any requirement of contractual privity
> are rapidly rendering software copyright license discussions
> irrelevant to developements in Information Technology.

Patents are indeed a concern.

-- 
Business before pleasure, if not too bloomering long before.
        --Nicholas van Rijn
                John Cowan <jcowan at reutershealth.com>
                        http://www.ccil.org/~cowan  http://www.reutershealth.com
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