Re: Contracts and licenses

[Raul Miller <moth@debian.org>]

On Mon, Jun 28, 2004 at 03:03:06PM -0400, Lex Spoon wrote:
> That is not exactly my argument:  I think you have to agree to a license
> agreement before you gain the included license, and I also think a
> license agreement can perfectly well make requirements on both parties
> while still being a license agreement.  A license agreement thus has the
> same properties as a contract in general.

This is probably a reasonable view.

Note, however, that you don't need copyright license to use a legally
acquired copy -- if the person who gave you the copy had the right to
give it to you, then you are free to use your copy.

At least, this is the way it works in the U.S.  Just as there may be
countries where you don't have the right to read a book you own if the
copyright doesn't grant you this privilege, there might be countries
where you don't have the right to use software you legally own if the
copyright doesn't grant you this privilege.

> The nitpick is on whether the obligations of GPL kick in immediately
> upon accepting it or only after accepting it and further deciding to
> actually use one of the granted licenses.

This seems to be irrelevant.  In the context of the GPL, all of the
obligations seem to be associated with the use of the license.

-- 
Raul