Re: Some licensing questions regarding celestia

[Richard Braakman <dark@xs4all.nl>]

On Sun, Sep 07, 2003 at 01:49:12AM -0700, Don Armstrong wrote:
> 17 USC 106 (3) lists four ways for a copy to be distributed.
> 
>     106. Exclusive rights in copyrighted works:
> 
>     Subject to sections 107 through 122, the owner of copyright under
>     this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of
>     the following: 
> 
>     (3) to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work
> 	to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by
> 	rental, lease, or lending;
> 
> Rental and lending are pretty much out of scope for software, licenses
> preclude sale, so what we're pretty much only discussing lease of the
> software, subject to the terms of the license.

Um, you missed "or other transfer of ownership".  The recipient
gains ownership of a copy (and sometimes this is an actual sale,
where money changes hands), and gets a license to make and
distribute further copies under certain conditions.

Richard Braakman