|
From: | amicus_curious |
Subject: | Re: US court says software is owned, not licensed |
Date: | Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:32:50 -0400 |
"Robert Heller" <heller@deepsoft.com> wrote in message news:o8udnc2yU_A6W03XnZ2dnUVZ_jydnZ2d@posted.localnet...
That appears to be a wrong understanding of the facts presented in the case. The eBay vendor obtained these used copies of AutoCAD from sources that had moved to newer versions and had obtained the original materials. In the case of the GPL, there is no need to root around getting old copies, you can just as easily obtain a new copy at zero cost. Now that new copy can be passed on as one pleases, with or without source, following the logic of the eBay/AutoCAD case.If one has, for example, a shrink wrapped copy, never opened (and thus never installed), it is perfectly legal to re-sell that copy. I believe that was citizen.org's case. Once you install it (eg open the box), then one 'has made a copy'. If you resell the box/CD/whatever, someone ends up with a non-legal copy (assuming that the software in question was not GPL or other open source, which was the case with the eBay vender vs Autodesk case that citizen.org defended).
[Prev in Thread] | Current Thread | [Next in Thread] |