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Path: sserve!manuel!munnari.oz.au!hp9000.csc.cuhk.hk!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!wupost!gumby!destroyer!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!purdue!yuma!csn!raven!rcd From: rcd@raven.eklektix.com (Dick Dunn) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd Subject: Re: AT&T sues BSDI & Our Retaliation Message-ID: <1992Aug5.072411@eklektix.com> Date: 5 Aug 92 07:24:11 GMT References: <9207231306.AA06854@GRANNY.CS.NYU.EDU> <4442@hq.hq.af.mil> <UEKLEINF.92Jul29092927@queen.mcs.Drexel.edu> Organization: eklektix - Boulder, Colorado Lines: 30 It's been a few days, but since nobody picked up on this... uekleinf@mcs.Drexel.edu (Erik Kleinfelder) writes: >... Now there is an idea. You want to start getting noticed, pull any PD >software out there that you originally made, restate the copyright, and put >it back out on the net. AT&T should really start getting the idea when they >have to start paying for everything or risk Copyright Infringment. First, you can't "pull" any PD software out there, because public domain means you gave up the right to control it. Second, you can't restate the copyright, because public domain software doesn't have a copyright (by definition). Assuming you mean "freely redistributable" (e.g., with a BSD-style copy- right notice), you still can't do much. You can re-issue the software with a new, more restrictive notice...but that doesn't let you retroactively change the copyright on what's already out there. If there's anything you can do, it comes down to re-thinking the idea of making software freely available. I hate to think of going that direction, but I can see how USL's game will make people reconsider sharing software. If you're making software freely redistributable, you are in effect giving a gift to the world. You're making a statement about freedom, too. There are people who will abuse freedom, but that isn't really enough reason to give up on freedom, stop giving things to people, and turn to using your work to control people and organizations instead. -- Dick Dunn rcd@raven.eklektix.com -or- raven!rcd Boulder, Colorado ...I'm not cynical - just experienced.