Re: GNU FDL 1.2 draft comment summary posted, and RFD
Branden Robinson <branden@debian.org> wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 12, 2002 at 03:57:50PM -0700, Walter Landry wrote:
> > Branden Robinson <branden@debian.org> wrote:
> > > On Wed, Jun 12, 2002 at 03:10:25PM -0700, Walter Landry wrote:
> > > > I think that once we get into this kind of large scale copying,
> > > > requiring people to offer machine readable source is not too onerous.
> > > > Otherwise, it isn't really a copyleft anymore.
> > >
> > > And very small-scale copying is difficult to audit anyway. So a
> > > GPL-style requirement shouldn't be a problem, then?
> >
> > I think that Andrew Suffield and others are looking for some legal
> > assurance that small-scale copying is OK. I'm sure they appreciate
> > the realities of enforcement as well as you or I.
>
> Yes, but it's probably too difficult to express this exception in legal
> terms. The GNU GPL doesn't, while RMS is on record as saying that the
> FSF doesn't care about small-scale file swapping among private
> individuals[1], but rather about systematic infringement.
My guess as to why RMS didn't put a small scale swapping exception is
that some incredibly expensive programs don't have many copies made.
I don't think that is a problem with documents since they are, as a
rule, pretty easy to reverse engineer.
> If this issue is too hard for the GPL to wrestle with I suggest we not
> do so either, though I do have a "Fair Use Acklowledgement" clause in
> mind that I'd like to work into our license, which *may* serve as the
> type of reassurance that Mr. Suffield is looking for.
>
> Something like:
>
> * No condition of this license shall be construed in such a way as to
> challenge or prohibit reverse-engineering or any Fair Use exception to
> copyright law.
Please don't do something like that. The DMCA has something like
this, and it hasn't been too useful.
Regards,
Walter Landry
wlandry@ucsd.edu
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