Re: Did I finally figure out the rationale?

[mike3]

On Jun 2, 12:56 pm, Rui Miguel Silva Seabra <r...@1407.org> wrote:
> Qua, 2007-05-30 às 20:33 -0700, mike3 escreveu:
>
> > On May 28, 2:39 pm, Rui Miguel Silva Seabra <r...@1407.org> wrote:
> > > Seg, 2007-05-28 às 12:04 -0700, mike3 escreveu:
>
> > > > And therefore the GPL is more of a copyright license, whereas the MS-
> > > > EULA
> > > > is more of a contract -- since the MS-EULA _takes away_ rights one
> > > > would
> > > > otherwise have, whereas the GPL _grants_ rights one would otherwise
> > > > _not_ have.
>
> > > Why... I argue that perhaps MS-EULA would be illegal in most copyright
> > > laws were it not for all those "except where prohibited by law" :)
>
> > So are you saying the copyright law is too restrictive?
>
> Well, you see... do write a book. Do you know what copyright law says
> about that book you wrote?
> Nobody but you can copy it.
> Only you can say who can copy it.
>
> In order for publishers to copy it and distribute it (by selling
> copies), you need to authorize them to do that.
>
> Or you may be weak enough in order to assign (by contract) your
> copyrights to them.
>
> Or you could publish it as a Free Book.
>
> Or you could make it in the public domain.
>
> Or you could burn the only copy.
>
> Doesn't this look restrictive?
>

Well, if you do the third- and second- last items on the list
it is not restrictive, but if everyone can get copies of the
book for free (free as in speech/libre often tends to mean
that some people will make copies available free as in
beer/gratis even though the two things are not the same)
then you can't make much if any profit selling any copies
of the book since if people can get something gratis
and it's just as good as the pay-for stuff, they will.

Copyright is supposed to grant a temporary monopoly that
allows for one to make some sort of profit and therefore
to help make creation of things worth doing.

But I will admit it has gone *way* too far with all these DRMs,
spyware, license agreements that say no backups allowed,
term extension acts and colossally-long copyright terms
(which seem to stretch the idea of a "temporary" monopoly).


> Rui
>
> --
> + No matter how much you do, you never do enough -- unknown
> + Whatever you do will be insignificant,
> | but it is very important that you do it -- Gandhi
> + So let's do it...?
>
>  signature.asc
> 1KDownload