🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <25096@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>, cs199ak@uape_14.ucsd.edu (Eiffel Kills C++) writes...
In article <25096@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>, you write...
>I think I've seen a thread like this somewhere in this newsgroup, but I
>can't find it, so here goes my question.
> 
>As far as I know, if I write a software package and copyleft it, and
>sell it to someone, what's to stop them from undercutting my price and
>selling a mess of copies?  Is there any provision for further

But you can't sell it either.  All you can do is charge "distribution"
fee and perhaps sell them a manual.  You are highly unlikely to be 
compensated financially to the extent that you could earn a living
from the work you have done with your product.  

Just ask anybody who has tried to make money with payment schemes 
such as "shareware".  Try before you buy is a nice idea in theory, 
but very few make a living at it.

>resellings to automatically mark some percentage or fixed dollar amount
>to go to the author?  Or are all your rights gone, including your right
>to get some compensation for writing the original code?

Yes.  But don't take my word for it;  ask a lawyer.

If you want to donate your efforts to the public, that's fine.
People will love you for it.  If you want to guarantee that the
code will be unavailable for commercial use, then CopyLeft it.

If you do this you should recognize that that you are giving up 
all rights to use the code in traditional commercial applications.

Fortunately, this is not the only way to publish source code.
To preserve your commercial rights, and release your current source
to the public all you have to do is "g alt.sources" and hit "p".

That way, your rights to use the code as a foundation for later 
commercial work are protected, and the right of others to use the 
code are not restricted.  

You could even include a voluntary request that the next user 
"pass it along".  But make it voluntary.  Free is only free if
it's really free.

-- Bill (johnston@minnie.me.udel.edu)