[LAD] RAUL?

[Thorsten Wilms]

On 11/16/2011 07:15 AM, Louigi Verona wrote:
> This is why I see any licenses that limit distribution and usage of
> creative work as undesirable and unfounded. Even things like GPL and CC
> seem to me like just lesser evil, as it still assumes that the author of
> the work can be considered an owner of his ideas and thus assumes that
> ideas can be property. This raises many-many problems, one of which is
> giving the author too much power over society.

You may not like such licenses, even if I suspect you benefit from them 
quite much, but to call them unfounded is, and this is the nicest way to 
call it, ignorant. Especially the GPL has clear objectives and the 
widespread use is indicative of the need.

Being based on Copyright, licenses like the GPL do not protect ideas, 
but at most specific implementations of ideas.

If a programmer makes his source code available, that is a gift to 
"society". Doing so with restrictions attached can be seen to make the 
act less generous, but it is still on the giving side. It still is 
enabling, not limiting. To then talk about "power over society" is 
ridiculous. Don't like the conditions? Don't take it, no force applied, 
nothing taken from you!

I see the GPL and similar licenses as a legal means of asking (and 
potentially forcing) people to play fair. If you build on top of someone 
else's source code, it's only fair to make the modifications available 
in the same manner. Give like you have received, an example of the 
golden rule.


-- 
Thorsten Wilms

thorwil's design for free software:
http://thorwil.wordpress.com/