Copyright and License

[Tim Peters]

[Tim]
> Once copyright status is lost, it can't be regained:  the decision
> to put something in the public domain is irrevocable.  That means
> nobody-- not even me! --can ever assert copyright on something I
> release to the public domain.

[Cliff Crawford]
> I've actually heard the opposite said by people defending the GPL.
> Supposedly if you release something as PD, or even with a BSD or other
> license, then a Big Corporation can take your code, assert copyright on
> it without even making any modifications or anything, and then sue you
> for distributing "their" code.  So that's why everyone should use the
> GPL.  At least, that's how their argument goes..

You certainly haven't heard Richard Stallman make that argument.  If
Andrew's example of the King James Bible didn't sway you, use any old search
engine and look for any old copyright FAQ -- they all cover this point about
public domain.  The Big Corp can copyright it after they make some changes,
but the copyright applies only to their changes, and even then only to their
particular *expression* of their changes (not to the ideas behind them).

> I don't really have the time or the legal expertise to sit down and
> read copyright laws, and there's so many different interpretations of
> the GPL that I'm wary of using that too.

I've never been able to stay awake thru the whole thing.  But it's what you
want if your project embraces the GNU philosophy (mine usually don't; the
Emacs pymode was an exception).

> So I just slap a BSD license onv everything and hope for the best :)  I
> think I'll look more into PD though, it sounds like it's not as dangerous
> as I thought it was.

There's no danger that you'll get ripped off in a serious way.  GNU is
pushing a particular ideology for software, but short of that most everyone
just wants to avoid getting sued.  So far, programmers have mostly avoided
getting nailed for what in other engineering disciplines would almost
certainly be judged criminal negligence, and we've enjoyed this charmed life
regardless of license.  I stick stuff in the public domain peppered with a
one-liner full of buzzwords like "no warranty", "as-is", "use at your own
risk".  Does that give me legal protection?  Frankly, I'd be kinda sad if it
did -- reciting that crap is more in the nature of a comforting social
ritual that we tell each other keeps the wolves away <0.1 wink>.

for-reliable-legal-advice-nothing-beats-usenet<wink>-ly y'rs  - tim