Re: webmin license

[Henning Makholm <henning@makholm.net>]

Marc van Leeuwen <maavl@mathlabo.univ-poitiers.fr> writes:

> However, I recall reading in a message last week that a copyright licence
> cannot restrict the use of the copyrighted material,

There is not universal agreement about that. Some people argue that
running a program involves creating a copy of it in the computer's
RAM thus is subject to copyright. Those people are mostly lawyers
from the software industry, but that by itself does not invalidate
their arguments.

There is a section in the Danish copyright law which reads, "one who
has permission to use a computer program may make such copies as are
necessary to use it". It is contested whether that means that it is
enough to be in possession of a legally made copy or that it implies
that there is such a thing as a "permission to use a computer
program" -- which, supposedly, you have to get from the author.

I think the section is based on a EU directive, so similar wording
may be in effect in France.

> So isn't the remind copyright legally void?

I don't think so. (Never mind that the *copyright* cannot be void
unless the author has been misidentified or it expires; the thing
that might be invalidated is the *license* or parts of it).

-- 
Henning Makholm                                  "Panic. Alarm. Incredulity.
                                   *Thing* has not enough legs. Topple walk.
                                  Fall over not. Why why why? What *is* it?"