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Date:      Mon, 18 Jan 1999 13:40:31 -0700
From:      Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>
To:        Jacques Vidrine <n@nectar.com>
Cc:        chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Attempt to relicense BSD code under the GPL 
Message-ID:  <4.1.19990118133648.064c47f0@mail.lariat.org>
In-Reply-To: <199901182035.OAA01818@spawn.nectar.com>
References:  <4.1.19990118114510.0475fa90@mail.lariat.org> <4.1.19990118095621.04517460@mail.lariat.org> <4.1.19990118092136.0465ede0@mail.lariat.org> <4.1.19990118092136.0465ede0@mail.lariat.org> <4.1.19990118095621.04517460@mail.lariat.org> <4.1.19990118114510.0475fa90@mail.lariat.org>

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At 02:35 PM 1/18/99 -0600, Jacques Vidrine wrote:
 
>> >What is ``the COMPILATION copyright''?  I don't follow.
>> 
>> It's a basic concept of copyright law. When you compile a collection
>> of material, you own a copyright on the way the collection is compiled 
>> (the selection of elements and the way in which they're linked together)
>> even if you don't own all of the component parts. 
>
>Thanks, it is clear to me what you mean now.  Again, this doesn't
>seem to cause any problems ... the various borrowed bits of software
>still retain their original copyright.

Ah, but the significant part of the OSKit project is the way in which
they are glued together. And THAT is under the GPL.

Look at the site more closely. There are several examples of companies
who have created specialized embedded OSes for their products using
the kit. They're now out of luck.... They'd have to give away their
hard work to keep doing it.

>> How can one reduce the cost of OS R&D when one precludes businesses
>> from creating commercial OSes based on the kit? 
>
>I'm not disagreeing with you on this point.  I advocate BSD-like licenses
>over GPL.  It is the University's perogative to license its software
>as it sees fit, however.  

The software was paid for by OUR money -- by a government grant. The
University has no right to restrict our use of it.

>It is also tangential to the subject of this
>thread: ``Attempt to relicense BSD code under the GPL'' -- a subject
>which I still say is bogus in this case.   There has been no attempt
>by the project to ``relicense BSD code under the GPL''.

Yes, there is. The collection includes BSD code and is licensed as
a whole under the GPL. It's thus "infected." For good.

--Brett Glass


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