Re: The worst that can happen to GPLed code

[David Kastrup]

hollaar@faith.cs.utah.edu (Lee Hollaar) writes:

> In article <x51xkdqbo0.fsf@lola.goethe.zz> David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org> writes:
> >Wrong.  If you become the lawful owner of a copy by an act of
> >_acquisition_, for an exchange of consideration (which may be as small
> >as adhering to the conditions of the GPL, or as large as paying a
> >download fee for the particular item in question), _then_ you get all
> >the rights that the copyright laws guarantee you for _that_ case.
> 
> Complete and total nonsense, at least in the United States.
> 
> I can become the lawful owner of a copyrighted work without any
> exchange of consideration.  It's called a gift.

But then copyright does not apply.  If I write a letter with a poem in
it to you, you are not allowed to pass it on to somebody else without
my permission.  If I _sell_ a letter with a poem in it to you, you
are.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum