Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Confiscation

Author:Brett Glass
Posted:8/25/2000; 12:50:24 PM
Topic:A softer GPL?
Msg #:20241 (In response to 20238)
Prev/Next:20240 / 20242

The thing which is "wrong" with the license that you propose above is that it is confiscatory. It demands that the programmer who uses the code forfeit any chance to make money from his own work -- in fact, and to give it away not only to the person who produced the original code but to everyone in the world. What's more, there's no balance of values. If I use one line of your code and combine it with tens of thousands of my own, I am still compelled to give all of my work away. This is unreasonable. If you want to license code (say, a subroutine library) to me personally and get something finite in return, that's fine. It's done all the time. But the license you propose above sets no limits on what I might be giving up. It requires me to give up value to a potentially infinite number of third parties and destroy my prospects of earning a livelihood. This is forced forfeiture, and it is not fair, reasonable, or ethical.

--Brett Glass

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