Re: GPL'ed Patent Pool

["C. Scott Ananian" <cscott cscott net>]

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004, Linas Vepstas wrote:

>    developers of proprietary technology.  So if you don't
>    accept the GPL, then you also don't get this license.

Currently you are not required to accept the GPL unless you *distribute* a
piece of GPL'ed software.  This ensures that I can make private
modifications without having to publish them, which is an important
freedom.  Forcing users to accept the GPL (ie publish their code) in order
to use the software (a patent license, unlike a copyright, is required
for use), would sacrifice this.

Perhaps stating that the *distributor* transfers the patent license when
they *distribute* code to you under the GPL would fix the problem,
although this would still prevent you from using the patented concepts in
private code which you wrote yourself and don't intend to distribute at
all.
 --scott

SSBN 743 DTFROGS ZRBRIEF ODUNIT Marxist Treasury DES ESCOBILLA AP
   Register to vote!  http://www.yourvotematters.org/VerifiedVoting
                         ( http://cscott.net/ )