At 06:14 PM 11/17/98 +0000, Oliver Elphick wrote: > >LICENSING > > > >I believe Debian needs a Dictionary where all the definitions are GPL'd (or > >LGPL'd if we want to support mixing with non-copyleft'd definitions). I am > >uncomfortable supporting any copyleft license that is not listed on the > >"What Is Copyleft?" <http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/copyleft.html>. I chose > >Debian GNU/Linux above all other releases, specifically for this reason. > >On the HTML submission form, state that all contributions will be liable >to editing and will be copylefted; and that submission of an entry >means accepting this automatically.
I am not a lawyer but I am not sure that is sufficient. If someone sends email and does not include a copyright notice, then (for the U.S.) is is subject to Title 17 of the U.S. Code., "201. Ownership of copyright" <http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/title17/2-201.html> says: "(b) Works Made for Hire. In the case of a work made for hire, the employer or other person for whom the work was prepared is considered the author for purposes of this title, and, unless the parties have expressly agreed otherwise in a written instrument signed by them, owns all of the rights comprised in the copyright." "(c) Contributions to Collective Works. Copyright in each separate contribution to a collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a whole, and vests initially in the author of the contribution. In the absence of an express transfer of the copyright or of any rights under it, the owner of copyright in the collective work is presumed to have acquired only the privilege of reproducing and distributing the contribution as part of that particular collective work, any revision of that collective work, and any later collective work in the same series." Unless you obtain an "express transfer of the copyright" or obtain something "expressly agreed otherwise in a written instrument signed by them" I am not sure you can simply say "if you send it to me, I own it". I think that interpretation would be risky. I propose that the best way out of this is to simply refuse to accept submissions that lack the appropriate copyright notice. I propose that the GPL or LGPL affords the best protection. -- Copyright(c) 1998 Lyno Sullivan; this work is free and may be copied, modified and distributed under the GNU Library General Public License (LGPL) <http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/lgpl.html> and it comes with absolutely NO WARRANTY; mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
