[Ilugc] We Don't Need the GPL Anymore
- From: anandsaha@xxxxxxxxx (Anand Saha)
- Date: Sat Jul 2 18:10:12 2005
On 7/2/05, Ayan Chakrabarti <ee01b098@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sat, 2 Jul 2005, Vamsee Kanakala wrote:
If the guy improves upon it? If he adds new features? Who does
that IP belong to?
That improvments may belong to the author, but the program as a
whole contains the IP of the original author, without which the
improvements would mean nothing.
If the guy feels his improvements are significant and that the original
program is not, he should rewrite the whole thing from scratch and do
what he wishes with it.
Give appropriate credits where it is due. Doesn't that solve the
problem ? I understand, its easier said than done. And that's one
reason why open/free source developers are so keen on the
licenses they choose, lest others use their code in a manner they
don't approve of.
It is not necessary that success of a package/program be attributed
to a single person/group. Packages evolve over time, mostly with
contributions from varied sources. Mark people's contribution,
give due recognition in source code through copyright notes. You
might distribute your s/w with improvements in form of patches
( .. does makes life difficult though ..)
It is not unnatural for packages to embody IPs belonging to different
people.
Also, the original author should not feel that he is doing a favor on
the person who builds upon his s/w. That's a kind of feeling that
proprietary s/w makers incubate.
saha
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