Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Selling of free software
Message-ID: <1990Aug10.170521.9435@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <6--4A8C@xds13.ferranti.com> <1990Aug8.173146.1206@santra.uucp> <meulenbr.650184899@cst> <7268@star.cs.vu.nl>
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 90 17:05:21 GMT

In article <7268@star.cs.vu.nl> ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) writes:
>I would suggest that people who post software and intend it to be in the
>public domain, put in a notice to that effect...

In general, this is not merely a good idea, it is necessary.  In countries
abiding by the Berne Convention -- which now includes the US -- it is not
necessary to attach a copyright notice for copyright to be in effect.  If
you want something to be in the public domain, you *must* say so, in order
to renounce the implicit copyright.

Personally, I don't recommend putting things into PD.  A nice permissive
copyright notice like the Berkeley one or the C News one is better.  That
way, you can at least insist on getting credit for what you do.  (I do
not recommend the GNU copyleft, which is much more restrictive, unless you
really support the Cult of Free Software.  Many people find it legally
difficult or impossible to use copylefted software.)
-- 
It is not possible to both understand  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
and appreciate Intel CPUs. -D.Wolfskill|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry
