Copyleft/guide Changeset - e391b67596af

Changeset - e391b67596af

Parent rev.

Child rev.

[Not reviewed]

0 1 0

Bradley Kuhn (bkuhn) - 10 years ago 2014-02-20 13:33:59
bkuhn@ebb.org

Began changes to make it clear that public domain dedication is difficult.

1 file changed with 10 insertions and 9 deletions:

gpl-lgpl.tex

0 comments (0 inline, 0 general)

gpl-lgpl.tex

➞

Show inline comments

@@ ... @@
 ``public domain.''
 \subsection{Public Domain Software}
 An author can create public domain software by disclaiming all copyright
 interest on the work. In the USA and other countries that have signed the
 Berne convention on copyright, software is copyrighted automatically by
 the author when she ``fixes the software into a tangible medium.''  In
 the software world, this usually means typing the source code of the
 software into a file.
 However, an author can disclaim that default control given to her by the
 % FIXME: this section needs more improvements to make it clear that public
 % domain dedication is difficult, if not impossible.
 Theoretically, an author can create public domain software by disclaiming all
 copyright interest on the work. In the USA and other countries that have
 signed the Berne convention on copyright, software is copyrighted
 automatically by the author when she ``fixes the software into a tangible
 medium.''  In the software world, this usually means typing the source code
 of the software into a file.
 Imagine if an author can truly disclaim that default control given to her by the
 copyright laws. Once this is done, the software is in the public domain
 --- it is no longer covered by copyright. Since it is copyright law that
 allows for various controls on software (i.e., prohibition of copying,

0 comments (0 inline, 0 general)