Emacs and the GPL

Posted Aug 11, 2011 2:58 UTC (Thu) by Hausvib6 (guest, #70606)
Parent article: Emacs and the GPL

Nice article. I have got some idea how to screw people:
1. Create a useful software. Don't worry, it's FLOSS and of course, GPLv3.
2. "Forget" to include some file, like in Emacs case.
3. Wait for people redistributing my software.
4. Ask them to settle for some amount of money.

Like FSF, I'm not violating GPLv3 because it's my own creation but all redistributors are GPLv3 violators.

I think this will greatly encourage the adoption of copyleft license by developers given the possible incentive when they "forget" to include some files.

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Emacs and the GPL

Posted Aug 11, 2011 3:03 UTC (Thu) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link]

The alternative approach would be:

1. Create useful software. It's FLOSS and MIT/X11.
2. "Forget" that some of the code in it was copied out of the leaked Windows 2000 source
3. Ask Microsoft for a cut of the proceeds

If you're the copyright holder and you gave the software to other people then estoppal will typically protect them from you. If someone else holds the copyright over part of it, then the situation's the same as above - whenever you distribute software you're taking the word of the person you got it from that they have the legal right to provide it to you under the claimed license. There's nothing special about the GPL here.