[PLUG-TALK] McBride letter to "Honorable xyz"

gepr at tempusdictum.com gepr at tempusdictum.com
Fri Jan 23 21:03:02 UTC 2004


Is this something to worry about?  Does anyone believe that our 
representatives are stupid enough to believe that the GPL somehow
limits software producers in their freedom to keep their software
a secret or not give away the source?

Excerpt from the letter:

>    SCO asserts that the GPL, under which Linux is distributed,
> violates the United States Constitution and the U.S. copyright and
> patent laws.  Constitutional authority to enact patent and copyright
> laws was granted to Congress by the Founding Fathers under Article I,
> § 8 of the United States Constitution:
>
>       Congress shall have Power ... [t]o promote the Progress of
>       Science and useful ARts, by securing for limited Times to
>       Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective
>       Writings and Discoveries.

I mean, seriously.  SCO is claiming that the GPL, itself... it's 
very existence, violates the constitution?  Is anyone stupid enough
to believe that?

If so, then someone has to write a letter to the representatives 
explaining that people have a choice whether or not to use the GPL.
If an author doesn't want to use it, they don't have to.  Sheesh.

-- 
glen e. p. ropella              =><=                           Hail Eris!
H: 503.630.4505                              http://www.ropella.net/~gepr
M: 971.219.3846                               http://www.tempusdictum.com





More information about the PLUG-talk mailing list