Re: Can a recipients rights under GNU GPL be revoked?

[John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com>]

Richard writes:
> IANAL, but ok. But what defines a 'legitimate owner'? No ownership
> rights are generally transferred with a piece of software, right?

A copy under USA copyright law is a tangible object.  When you buy a CD
or other embodiment of a work you own that object and have all the
rights of ownership.  Ownership of a copy --a tangible object-- is
entirely different from ownership of the right to make and distribute
additional copies of an object embodying material protected by
copyright.  Copyright law does not limit your rights in that object.
You own it.

You do not own the right to make and distribute copies of that object.
However, USA copyright law automatically grants you the right to make
any transient or temporary copies that might be necessary in order to
use it.  You have the right to transfer ownership of the object to
someone else, but if you do so you must, of course, destroy the
aforementioned temporary copies.

> ... and I understand that if there's no consideration paid, there's no
> legal contract, right?

"Contract"?  If someone makes a gift of an object to you expecting no
compensation, you still own it.
-- 
John Hasler 
jhasler@newsguy.com
Elmwood, WI USA