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Subject: Re: Legal Notice Served

Re: Legal Notice Served

From: BlueChip <cs_bluechip_at_webtribe.net>
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 10:36:08 +0100

At 08:57 13/06/04, you wrote:
>On Sun, 13 Jun 2004, Linus Nielsen Feltzing wrote:
>
> > Well, I managed to read the source code, so I guess I'm happy. Just
> curious,
> > why is it so important that the "user" reads the release notes?
>
>... and, since this is GPL (I do miss that statement in the package),

Part 2: IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL PROGRAMMERS
Section 2: Rockbox, Cyborg Systems & Legal Action
Paragrah 2:
"As such, this code also gets "infected" with GPL. For further information you
can find the full GPL License Agreement at http://www.linux.org/info/gnu.html"

>everyone
>who has downloaded this are now allowed to re-distribute it at will, and then
>it might be packaged totally different without that readme getting displayed
>automatically when unpacking...

Indeed they could. I suppose the same is true of any GPL code really.

Sadly "respect" is not (afaik) in the GPL, otherwise this world might be a
far nicer place.

I just went to look at the GPL to see if this "doer of evil" was even
required to distribute the readme at all ...I didn't find that, but I did
find this:

http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html#SEC4
It would seem that to actually make a piece of software GPL you need to
(and I paraphrase):
# attach the following notices to the program.
   # one line to give the program's name and an idea of what it does.
   # A big block of gnu legal text, including:
     You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
     along with this program;"
   # information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.

Does this mean that every contributor has to publish their home/work
address for the license to be valid? ...How does that work? Should that
big block of text appear in EVERY file? What happens if there's a filename
and no description? I'm starting to see why so much of this small print
goes ignored by those who can't be bothered to either wade through it all
themselves or pay a solicitor to wade though it for them.

Loads of questions there for you to get your teeth into.

Anyway, thanks for the heads up. Glad it's all over :)

BC

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Received on 2004-06-13

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