🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan8.212126.21379@blaze.cs.jhu.edu> arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu writes:

   Suppose I write program A, with subroutine S in it.  I also write
   program B, also with subroutine S in it.  I don't release B at
   all, but either I put A under the GPL, or I release A into PD and
   someone else puts A under the GPL.

   Subroutine S is now in a GPL program.  Furthermore, subroutine S
   "infects" other code; anything with a copy of S in it is _also_
   under the GPL.

   Now, I want to release B commercially.  But a rival company
   somehow manages to find out that B contains S.  They then tell me
   "B has a subroutine in it which was obviously taken from GPL
   program A.  Therefore, B is "infected" and falls under the GPL, so
   I can legally copy program B."

   But wait, I protest.  I didn't get S from a GPL program.  I
   already had S, in a   non-GPL version.  Unfortunately, the version
   of S which is GPL'ed is identical,   byte for byte, with the
   version of S which is not.  It's not even clear that it's
   _meaningful_ to say that I used one version instead of the other.
   So I'm stuck.  The other company can pirate all they want.

You *did* remember to register the copyright for B, didn't you?

-russ <nelson@crynwr.com> What canst *thou* say?
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