[TriLUG] Re: Copyright protection

[John Beimler]

Andrew Perrin wrote:
> On Wed, 6 Aug 2003, Gnu Man wrote:
> 
>>I was hoping to find some documentation that would not hold the users or
>>developers responsible for code that they did not know was obtained
>>illegally.
> 
> 
> Users aren't civilly responsible for using code they didn't know was
> obtained illegally. What SCO is trying to do is alert such users that they
> may be doing so, then extort^H^H^H^H^H^H charge licensing fees for it as a
> way of guaranteeing not to sue the users in the future.  The point is
> that, if a judge is smoking something strong enough to find a credible
> case here, no linux user will be able to claim s/he didn't know the code
> was obtained illegally, since SCO has been playing it up.
> 

But at least according to Eben Moglen (FSF council) users don't have to 
pay a fee for using copyrighted works. People who copied the works 
should be held accountable, but there is not a fee for use of 
copyrighted work. Otherwise, there would be no free libraries would be 
illegal, and all copyright works would have a pay per use clause. You 
wouldn't be able to look at pictures someone else is looking at, listen 
to music with friends or read a used newspaper without paying in the 
world you describe.

Source: http://www.osdl.org/docs/osdl_eben_moglen_position_paper.pdf

Peace.

john