Colin Watson writes: > Software can be placed into the public domain by deliberate action of the > (former) copyright holder.
The public domain is mentioned in US copyright law only in the context of expiration and there is no evidence of which I am aware that Congress ever considered the possibility of an author wanting to place his work in the public domain. I suspect that they assumed that no one would want to do such a thing with anything of enough value to litigate over. Also, look at <http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap3.html#304>. While this does not appear to apply to recent copyrights, it is clear that Congress considers itself to have the power to nullify grants. "I hereby place this work in the public domain" could be interpreted as a grant of all rights to the public. While "I hereby place this work in the public domain" undoubtedly has the same short-term practical effect as would expiration of the copyright, I don't think it is clear that the subject work would have exactly the same legal status as it would had the copyright expired. -- John Hasler [EMAIL PROTECTED] (John Hasler) Dancing Horse Hill Elmwood, WI -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
