> -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Scott Ford > Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 9:33 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Programming languages can't have copyright > protection, EU court rules > > All, > > So how do you protect code, whatever language you have > written in , in business ? > Without copyright, doesn't it imply , people can take you > source and change it and resell it ...if the gave your source > , right ? > > > Scott Ford > Senior Systems Engineer > www.identityforge.com
No, copyright stops people from taking the source and simply making minor modifications (such as changing variable names), then calling it theirs. There is a concept called a "derivative work". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derivative_work . The concept of "taking the source, change it, and resell it" is the major distinctions in many of the "open source" licenses, such as Apache, MIT, *BSD, and my favorite GPL. The GPL license is specifically written to stop just such an occurrence. And it has been enforced in some lawsuits. And, to my knowledge, has never failed in a copyright lawsuit. <quote> In United States copyright law, a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major, copyright-protected elements of an original, previously created first work (the underlying work). </quote> But it does not prevent using the __ideas__ in the work in an independent work (think POSIX compliance in UNIX!). That's why there can be, and are, so many of the beloved "Harlequin Romance" type novels. <grin/> IMO, Groklaw is a good source for learning about some of these things. -- John McKown Systems Engineer IV IT Administrative Services Group HealthMarkets(r) 9151 Boulevard 26 * N. Richland Hills * TX 76010 (817) 255-3225 phone * [email protected] * www.HealthMarkets.com Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message may contain confidential or proprietary information. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. HealthMarkets(r) is the brand name for products underwritten and issued by the insurance subsidiaries of HealthMarkets, Inc. -The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company(r), Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of TennesseeSM and The MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company.SM ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
