Re: Plugins, libraries, licenses and Debian

[Arnoud Engelfriet <galactus@stack.nl>]

M?ns Rullg?rd wrote:
> Arnoud Engelfriet <galactus@stack.nl> writes:
> > But anyway, although computer programs definitely are recognized
> > as subject to copyright in the EU, they do not fit the definition
> > of "derivative work" or "adaptation" very well. There just is no
> > guidance in this area. If you translate something, turn a book
> > into a play or putting a poem to music, you can just look it up
> > in the law. But software just isn't discussed much (other than
> > the no-reverse-engineering-unless and one-backup-copy provisions
> > and the like).
> 
> Exactly my point.  What would the equivalent of dynamic linking be?  A
> book that says on the first page: take chapters 3 and 6 from book Foo
> and insert after chapter 4 in this book, then read the result.

Precisely. From reading the preparatory materials for the Dutch
law, it is clear that no one here ever thought things like this
could happen. Everyone writes his own software, or licenses
software from someone else with specific permission to link it.
And then the result is a binary that end users will execute.

Perhaps it's time for a Directive on publicly available software?

Arnoud

-- 
Arnoud Engelfriet, Dutch patent attorney - Speaking only for myself
Patents, copyright and IPR explained for techies: http://www.iusmentis.com/