Re: [PROPOSAL] Full text of GPL must be included

[tb@becket.net (Thomas Bushnell, BSG)]

Branden Robinson <branden@debian.org> writes:

> Failure to zealously prosecute one's every possible avenue of recourse in
> enforcing one's own copyright is not an offense under U.S. law, nor, as far
> as I know, anywhere else.

However, it is the case that failure to prosecute a copyright
violation constitutes implied permission.  As a general rule of law,
if you permit someone to violate a right of yours over enough time,
then you lose the ability to protect that right in court.  If the FSF
were not zealous in protecting the integrity of the GPL against
friends who would not actually harm it, then enemies might use those
avenues of violating with impunity in the future.

Thomas