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From: dee@cca.UUCP (Donald Eastlake)
Newsgroups: net.emacs
Subject: Re: legal question
Message-ID: <3551@cca.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 22:09:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: cca.3551
Posted: Mon Jul 29 22:09:43 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 01:29:05 EDT
Reply-To: dee@cca-unix.UUCP (Donald Eastlake)
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge
Lines: 24


I don't think there is any way to stop someone from selling GNU EMACS.
When something is not property (in some sense no one has or is asserting
any "proprietary" rights to it) you can do what you like, including
trading it (or copies of it) with other people for money or whatever.

Even if something is copyrighted the "exclusive right to vend" the copyrighted
work that is granted to the holder of the copyright applies only to the first
sale.  Thereafter, it the particular copy may be transfered freely (although
not further copied).  Copyright notices that say you can make further copies
as long as they are not "for profit" or some similarly nebulous handware
are meaningless and unenforceable as far as I can see.

The only way to stop someone from selling GNU EMACS would be a
trade-secret-like contract.

Whether you sell something with the GNU EMACS really has nothing to do with it.

(I think the usual notice about people not being lawyers and speaking only
for themselves is a bit silly but both of these are true for me.)

-- 
	+1 617-492-8860		Donald E. Eastlake, III
	ARPA:  dee@CCA-UNIX	usenet:	{decvax,linus}!cca!dee