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Re: Free Pine?



On Thu, Aug 31, 2000 at 02:46:40PM -0600, Richard Stallman wrote:
> > Their position was that the words "permission to copy, distribute and
> > modify" do not grant permission to distribute a modified version.  In
> > other words, they say you can distribute the software, and you can
> > modify the software, but you can't modify it and then distribute the
> > result.

On Fri, Sep 01, 2000 at 04:40:22AM -0500, Branden Robinson wrote:
> Then it must also be true that one cannot copy and then distribute, or
> distribute and then copy. Have you attempted to challenge them on this
> point? Do they have English professors at UWash, or just semioticians?

Their "logic" here is that when "this software" is copied, or distributed,
it remains "this software" but that when it's modified, it is no longer
"this software".

Personally, I wish the FSF had let UW go ahead with the legal threat,
then counter-sued for legal costs and the cumulative effect of tied
up resources.  But maybe the FSF doesn't consider the gain enough to
balance the very slight risk that UW's case would be laughed out of court.

FYI,

-- 
Raul



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