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Re: GPL and other licences


From: Alfred M. Szmidt
Subject: Re: GPL and other licences
Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 00:23:29 +0100

   > It does boil down to that, you are still violating the license,
   > and in turn copyright law.  Just that nobody knows of it so
   > nobody can sue you.

   Not quite, as (at least in the USA) the copyright statues allow you
   to take reasonable action (including making or commissioning
   modifications) to make a legally obtained program run on your
   equipment.

I'm not that familiar with the laws in the USA, but you have things
like the DMCA which prohibit exactly that.  

   > And if you use it internally in a business then you are
   > distributing the program to anyone who uses it.

   There seems to be large agreement on the interpretation that
   letting employees and agents of an organisation use software does
   not constitute distribution.

It is distribution to the employees/agents.  One could claim that each
and every person is an agent, so and keep the software non-free
without violating the licnse.

Cheers.




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