[Freeciv] Re: forced open source

[Tomasz Wegrzanowski <maniek@xxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Jul 20, 2000 at 09:51:38AM +0200, Per I. Mathisen wrote:
> Just a few, quick points to the discussion:
> 
> - Copyright is not all bad. It protects the individal writer from
> the publisher, ensuring that she is not ripped off or that her work is not
> mangled and given out under someone else's name (without her
> permission). This way copyright encourages writing and enables authors to 
> write for small audiences and still make a living.

It wasn't all bad in previous era,
but now you don't need any publisher to distribute your work,
so purpose of copyright is obsolete, as is copyright itself.

You can ensure that nobody is distributing your work under
own name by ``public lie'' laws (the same you would use,
if ingredients list of product were fake etc., no need for IP here)

> - Most of us are all too painfully aware how copyright has been
> extended and abused by greedy companies and their corrupt governments.
> This is not an argument against copyright as such, but against corrupt
> government and greedy companies and their law.

copyright can't exist without corrupt government
(government is corrupt by definition) and their law.

> - This is not a libertarian vs socialist debate. It is a common sense vs
> corporate greed debate, where you will find most people who call 
> themselves socialists and most people who call themselves libertarians on
> the sensible side, with a few odd ends from both camps on the other. Eric
> Raymond is wrong, and his political tunnel vision is of no help here.

I love this.

There are two kinds of people:
ones who things there are two kinds of people
and one who don't think so. :-)

This is mostly academical issue.
Please everyone to stop here.

> - As far as I am aware, IANAL-wise, Freeciv has nothing to fear legally
> from Hasbro. This has been discussed before, and I do not think further
> discussion will make anyone any wiser. What can be done, however, is to
> contact RedHat or GNU and ask if they can ask their lawyer for advice.
> 
> - This is a freeciv list, not a copyright or politics discussion
> list. Please stay on topic and please do not feed the troll.

We certainly need freeciv-legal, even if all its purpose
were be protecting innocent freeciv users from flamewar-flood.