Re: Termination clauses, was: Choice of venue
David Nusinow <david_nusinow@verizon.net> writes:
> On Fri, Jul 16, 2004 at 02:13:38PM -0400, Brian Thomas Sniffen wrote:
>> The developer hasn't promised to obey the license. I distribute
>> software written by others all the time. I'm not sued by them because
>> they licensed me to do this under the GPL, but I wouldn't even have to
>> know about the GPL in order to do this legally.
>
> But your behavior is still constrained in that (in the case of the GPL or QPL)
> if you modify the software and distribute it you must agree to the terms of the
> license. I don't understand how this is not a promise.
I haven't promised the FSF anything, but I distribute and modify their
software all the time. Maybe I don't agree to the GPL. Maybe,
someday, I'll fail to note my changes at the top of every file!
Bwahaha.
And if I ever do that, what would they be able to do to me? Get mad
because I broke a promise? No. Get mad because I violated their
copyright? Yes. The GPL is not a promise I've made. It's an offer,
and a nonrevocable one at that, from them to everybody else.
-Brian
--
Brian Sniffen bts@alum.mit.edu
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