Re: LGPL reverse engineering clause & Java

[David Kastrup]

Alexander Terekhov <terekhov@web.de> writes:

> David Kastrup wrote:
> [...]
>> The technical ability to download something does not give you an
>> licence to do whatever you want with it.  Again: you can't just copy
>> material from online newspapers and claim them as your own.
>
> My, you're dense.

The same old "Alexander is out of argument, he reverts to insults"
procedure we all know and love from you.

> You keep comparing online distribution (where copyright owners
> and/or authorized distributors are transferring ownership of a copy
> of the work to recipients)

They make them available under conditions.

> with mere displays, webcasts, etc.

The HTTP port does not know whether I want to display or copy a file.
It is the purpose for which the stuff has been made available that
determines what I can do with it, not which port I download it from.
In the case of GPLed software, this purpose is the software's use
under the GPL.  There is often the case that you download web pages,
software and so on without knowing in advance what you are allowed to
do with them.  Before doing anything further, you then need to check
the conditions and see whether you have been given appropriate
permission.  I can't just blindly download software from some link and
redistribute it to a number of people, telling them that I give them
license to ignore any copyrights on that software.

If, of course, the distributor is authorized to distribute copies of
software under other licences than the GPL, then of course you can
make other use of the copies you download.  Such an authorization
might not be assumed without checking, though.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum