in message <MPG.207e387e68e5bb4b98971a@n...>, Grant Robertson
('bogus@b...') wrote:

> In article <cv3ce4-utc.ln1@g...>,
> simon@j... says...
>> in message <MPG.207cba3f38602069989718@n...>, Grant
>> Robertson ('bogus@b...') wrote:
>> 
>> > I want to give it away for free. But, in order to do that, I have to
>> > ensure that it will stay free.
>> 
>> Seriously, if you want that, the solution is one of:
>> 
>> The GPL <URL:http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html> - not designed for
>> this sort of thing, but with real legal teeth.
> 
> I finally found a great reference about this issue, and it supports your
> suggestions. Take a look at...
> 
> http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/200108/pdf00000.pdf
> 
> ...paying particular attention to section V.D. starting on page 9. This
> paper specifically addresses my concerns about as exactly as if I had
> written them myself. The paper is written as a report from an XML.org
> working group called Legal-XML which was formed to create XML standards
> for the transmission of legal documents. Heck, if those guys don't know
> about protecting the intellectual property of XML standards then no one
> does.
> 
> So, I guess this about settles it. My notion of patenting the standard,
> though legally possible, was unnecessary. It appears that *a* GPL will do
> just fine. I don't know if the GNU GPL will exactly meet my needs but at
> least I now know I won't have to go to the expense of getting a patent.

There is only one GPL - the G stands for 'GNU', which in turn stands
for 'Gnu is Not UNIX'. There are, however, different versions of the GPL.
V2 is the one in common current use and is so legally fierce that no-one
has yet dared seriously challenge it in court. V3 is currently in draft
and promises to be even fiercer.

FWIW I release all the code I make my living from under GPL V2.

-- 
simon@j... (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

        There are no messages. The above is just a random stream of
        bytes. Any opinion or meaning you find in it is your own creation.