Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 18:33:48 +0000 (GMT) From: Terry Lambert <tlambert@primenet.com> To: marko@uk.radan.com (Mark Ovens) Cc: tlambert@primenet.com, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: The GPL and the Robinson-Patman Act Message-ID: <199902241833.LAA03092@usr04.primenet.com> In-Reply-To: <19990224010204.B679@localhost> from "Mark Ovens" at Feb 24, 99 01:02:04 am
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> > The FSF has a pool of money for sueing people set aside and all > > ready to go, with a specific emphasis on corporations who, god help > > them, release code that includes patented algorithms or processes > > under the GPL. > > > > That almost sounds like a contradiction in terms; an organization > representing *free* software having vast financial resources. I > presume their funds come from donations from the likes of Red Hat, > Cygnus etc.? It's not. If an organization has a patent, and it releases GPL'ed code incorporating technology covered by the patent, then the GPL will be used to tear down the patent protection. This is intentional. I wish people would quit telling me what they think the "spirit of the GPL" was intended to be, without their having read the manifesto; it seems to be endemic to zealots to not read scripture. If anyone rememebrs history, that's where the Knight's Templar and the Spanish Inquisition derived from. > > RMS hates intellectual property law, period. He will use his > > instrument (the GPL) to make his manifesto reality, at any > > reasonable opportunity. > > I am interested in the history of all this, such as why RMS manages > to have such a powerful influence over so many people (I believe > it started with a paper he wrote whilst at MIT(?)) that instills > such fervour in support of the GPL (he's not the anti-Christ is he > ;-) ) but I don't want to drag this thread down an inappropriate > path so do you know of any URLs or books that will provide this > information? http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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