🚀 go-pugleaf

There's another reason why PD code isn't such a great idea: liability.
If I write a program and and place it in the public domain, what's to
stop somebody from appropriating it, ``improving'' it, and distributing
it with my name on it? A third party then buys the ``enhanced'' program,
and suffers some sort of damage from it. They look at the code, see my
name, and sue me. Needless to say, I would not be found liable, but I
might have to suffer greatly in the courts as a result.

The GPL (and other copyleft mechanisms) stop this by insisting that any
redistribution of a modified program clearly indicate the modifications
(you must distribute the source AS RECEIVED), and by including a NO
WARRANTY disclaimer (which cannot be removed, as it is part of the
licence). Result: the authors rights (those which s/he chooses to
exercise) are protected, while still having free software. 


--
\    Vincent Manis <manis@cs.ubc.ca>      "There is no law that vulgarity and
 \   Department of Computer Science      literary excellence cannot coexist."
 /\  University of British Columbia                        -- A. Trevor Hodge
/  \ Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1W5 (604) 228-2394