-----Original Message-----
From: Clark Peterson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>A license is simply permission from competent
>authority to permit the doing of something that would
>otherwise be illegal, a tresspass or a tort.
I believe a license (at least in the context we are concerned with) sets
down a set of circumstances under which you have permission to use another
person's IP in exchange for you giving some sort of compensation to the
owner. If you violate the terms of that license, the other party can (and
probably will) sue you for damages.
>They are by their essential nature revocable at will.
I don't believe this is true. Licenses are legally binding (unless proven
otherwise in court) to both parties involved in the license. The owner of
the IP cannot revoke the license without violating the license. Some
licenses have built in termination, such as a movie studio licensing the
rights to make a D&D movie for a specific number of years, or only terminate
after one party violates the terms of the license, like the OGL. Either
way, attempting to revoke a license agaist the terms of the license
constitutes a violation and is handled accordingly. This is the law as I
understand it, but I am not a lawyer.
Chris
www.IDrankWhat.org
www.coincidental.net
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