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Re: chroot administration



Ben Pfaff <blp@cs.stanford.edu> writes:

> tb@becket.net (Thomas Bushnell, BSG) writes:
> 
> > John Hasler <john@dhh.gt.org> writes:
> > 
> > > The US government definitely is allowed to own copyrights.  The restriction
> > > is on _enforcing_ their copyrights on works of which they are author.
> > 
> > There are two ways to be the owner of a copyright.  First, you can buy
> > it from someone else (or otherwise get it by transfer).  The US
> > government can own copyrights this way.
> > 
> > The second way is by writing something.  The US government cannot own
> > copyrights this way.  But this is not a restriction merely on
> > enforcement, rather, no copyright at all exists.
> > 
> > As evidence, I cite the following, 17 USC 105:
> > 
> > "Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work
> > of the United States Government, but the United States Government is
> > not precluded from receiving and holding copyrights transferred to it
> > by assignment, bequest, or otherwise."
> 
> The specific powers of the U.S. government listed there are
> "receiving" and "holding".  It does not mention "enforcing" or
> "protecting", etc.  Are those powers implied elsewhere?

There is no such thing as the ownership of a copyright absent the
right to enforce it.  Such enforcement *is* what the ownership is.



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