Re: Plugins, libraries, licenses and Debian

[Jeremy Hankins <nowan@nowan.org>]

Anthony DeRobertis <asd@suespammers.org> writes:

>         A ''compilation'' is a work formed by the collection and
>         assembling of *PREEXISTING* materials or of data that are
>         selected, coordinated, or arranged in such a way that the
>         resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of
>         authorship. The term ''compilation'' includes collective works.
>
> Emphasis added, of course. So, when I write a plugin I can't claim to
> have created a compilation of the plugin and the host, because the
> plugin is not preexisting.

Yes, because if it wasn't preexisting you must have made it yourself,
which makes it a derived work.  My understanding is that the concept of
a compilation is intended to cover exactly the case where there is no
particular piece of the resulting work that the compilation author can
claim copyright on, because if there is it's already covered as a
derived work.

I find it extremely hard to believe that the clause about compilations
was added as a way to *limit* what can be covered under copyright.

-- 
Jeremy Hankins <nowan@nowan.org>
PGP fingerprint: 748F 4D16 538E 75D6 8333  9E10 D212 B5ED 37D0 0A03