Re: GPL and other licences

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   Do you really believe that a copyright holder can give me
   permission to make copies of files on *your* computer, whatever the
   license?

Nobody made such a claim, stop inventing things.

   Your right to make copies of your copy depends on the license, but
   your right to refuse anyone to make copies of your copy is
   inalienable(*).

The basis of the whole discussion is that someone (employeer) gave a
CD to someone (employee).  The person gave up this right in the
instance when it gave access to the content of the CD.  If there are
files on that CD that are licensed under the GNU GPL, then the person
who is in legal posession of the CD can now redistribute those
specific files.

   Imagine that you have purchased a license from me. The software is
   my property,

Software cannot be property, different laws apply for software and
property.

   and I can license it as I please to whom I please, but I simply
   cannot give someone the right to make a copy of your property
   (i.e. the licensed copy you bought from me) even if that someone
   has legitimate access to your computer, and the license allows
   *you* to make copies. You own that copy, and whatever the
   license(*), you can refuse that someone makes copies of it.

The GNU GPL explicitly gives access to anyone who is simply in the
legal posession of those particular files to accept the license.  See
section 0 of the GNU GPL.

   What the OP claimed was that the GPL allowed him to ignore the
   rights of the legitimate owner of the copy. This of course is
   patent nonsense,

The only nonsense is your claim that the OP (i.e. me) claimed this.  I
never did.

   if only because the GPL is not an intrinsic attribute of the
   software, but an agreement between two parties, and thus external
   to the software, even if the text of a proposed license accompanies
   it.

The two parties being the copyright holder, and the person who has the
software.  Not the CD, not the disk it resides on, but the software.
See section 0 of the GNU GPL.

If you do not know what the discussion is about, stop participating in
it or figure out what is being disucssed.