Re: GNU General Public License?

[David Kastrup]

Alexander Terekhov <terekhov@web.de> writes:

> Fung wrote:
>
> [... the GPL ...]
>
> The GPL talks about legal regime in the GNU Republic in a nearby 
> alternative universe where First Sale is nonexistent, IP is not 
> property (it belongs to the state),

"Intellectual property" indeed is not property and belongs to the
state _under_ _current_ _laws_.  The originators have _limited_ rights
for exploiting them, limited in extent and time.  Copyright and
patents _expire_, not by an act of the state confiscating the said
"intellectual property", but by the state relinquishing his special
protection for time-limited exclusive exploitation, granted in
exchange for the act of publishing, passing the work into the public.

> and where distributing software under any "license" other than the
> GPL (which is akin to a lottery or any other permits from the state
> and is of course not a contract or a property right in the GNU
> Republic) or "GPL compatible" license (but that's for extra
> regulation fee) is a felony under GNU law.

You are babbling.  Of course you were babbling above as well, but I
chose to use that as an excuse for showing something people tend not
to realize.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum