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Re: [LUG] What is the purpose of free software ?

 

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:05:31 +0000
"Ben Goodger" <goodgerster@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> > > I meant precisely what I said - that software should not be
> > > constricted by copyrights
> >
> > So you want all software to be public domain?
>
>
> Read it! I don't want software to be constricted by copyrights. Obviously it
> need not be public domain to not be constricted by copyright.

Not true. Any non-copyrighted material is, by definition, public domain.

Copyright is assigned by default - copyright law creates copyright
without any intervention by the author. Therefore, to remove copyright,
the copyright holder must disclaim the copyright which makes it public
domain. There is no grey area here. A work is either copyrighted or
public domain - there is no third option.

All works not constrained by copyright are, under international
copyright law, legally classified as public domain. If a work is not
public domain, then it is constrained by copyright. Once copyright
lapses, the work becomes public domain. At no time is any work neither
copyrighted nor public domain, it must - by law - be one or the other.

--


Neil Williams
=============
http://www.data-freedom.org/
http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/
http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/

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