On Sun, 6 Jun 2004 10:45:59 -0700 Adam McKenna wrote: > On Sun, Jun 06, 2004 at 11:08:50AM +0200, Francesco Poli wrote: > > On Fri, 4 Jun 2004 23:25:18 -0700 Adam McKenna wrote: > > > > > the reason you can copy a file > > > which has been released under the GPL without accepting the GPL is > > > because you are explicitly granted that right by the GPL. > > > > I don't think so: you are not granted any right by a license, unless > > you accept the license itself. > > Hence, I don't see how could the GPL grant any right to make copies > > to someone who is not willing to accept the GPL itself. > > Please read the GPL, specifically sections 5 and 6. You only have to > accept the license if you wish to modify or distribute the work.
Ooops. I apologize for not having recalled this. > > I'm not going to participate in any more semantic arguments or legal > 101 on what the definitions of the words 'distribute' or 'copy' are. Could you please provide a good reference to some clear definition? I hope I know the difference, but I'd better check anyway... :p > If you are confused about copyrights in general, please go to > http://www.loc.gov/copyright and read the text entitled "copyright > basics". Well, *now* I'm a bit confused. At http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html I read the following: é[ Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of [ copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the [ following: [ [ * To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords; ... AFAIK the reasoning behind GPL#5 is that only the license gives me some rights, hence I must have implicitly accepted it, if I exercise those rights. U.S. Copyright law (and many other copyright laws, I suppose) lists the right to make copies as one of the copyright owner's exclusive rights. That would bring me to the conclusion that I must accept the GPL in order to make a copy of a GPL'd work. See for example GPL#4: [ 4. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program [ except as expressly provided under this License. On the other hand GPL#5 itself says I'm required to accept the GPL only in order to distribute or modify... Could you explain how's that possible? -- | GnuPG Key ID = DD6DFCF4 | You're compiling a program Francesco | Key fingerprint = | and, all of a sudden, boom! Poli | C979 F34B 27CE 5CD8 DC12 | -- from APT HOWTO, | 31B5 78F4 279B DD6D FCF4 | version 1.8.0
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