Software licenses and releasing Python programs for review

[Terry Reedy]

"Robert Kern" <rkern at ucsd.edu> wrote in message 
news:d7u737$8or$1 at sea.gmane.org...
> Mike Meyer wrote:
>> I've heard people argue otherwise on this case. In particular, if you
>> allow an employee to use your GPL'ed-but-not-distributed software,
>> they are the end user, and have all the rights granted by the GPL. So
>> they can distribute the software - possibly to your
>> competitors. Employment contracts can't prohibit this, because the GPL
>> specifically disallows "distribution" (allowing your employee to use
>> the software) under licenses that restrict the rights granted by the
>> GPL.
>
> Well, the FSF at least thinks that internal use within an organization
> does not constitute distribution.

The fact that GPL effectively discriminates in favor of large corporations 
(and other organizations) and programmers employed by such (versus those 
contracting with such), is something I don't like about it.   This seems 
contrary to the spirit of the thing.  It certainly supports the myth that 
organizations are 'people'.

What if a whole country claimed to be 'one organization' (as the entire 
Soviet Union once was, in a real sense).  Could it distribute modifications 
'privately' while denying such to the rest of the world?

Terry J. Reedy