Re: Licensing and copyright

[Richard Stallman <rms gnu org>]

    - in 20 years, Free Software may well be installed on 90% of computers. Then, 
    what can stop Microsoft from using anti-trust laws and breaking the FSF 
    assets into pieces? Can you be sure it will never happen?

Even if everyone uses the GNU/Linux system, no company will have a
monopoly, because anyone can get into the business of selling support
for it.  So there would be no legitimate grounds for such a decision.

In a domain such as law, which is not an exact science, that is as
much certainty as anyone can reach.  If you demand proof beyond that,
you are demanding the impossible.

The danger of an absurd and stupid legal decision always exists, in
every area of life, just as the danger that a meteor will fall on your
head always exists.  Whether you assign the copyright to an
organization, or keep it yourself, either way there is an
unquantifiable remote possibility of an absurd legal judgment.

For practical decisions, it makes more sense to decide
based on the outcomes that are likely to happen.

    The pros and cons of concentrating ownership in a single entity (be it the 
    FSF) and in a single country (be it the United-States) need to be studied in 
    more details. Probably by a professor in law.

Professor Moglen has studied them, and our policies are based on his
advice.