Re: GNU GPL (was Ghostscript: The bad news)

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Article #75000

#75000

From: Francois Pinard
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 1990 19:14

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In article <1990Dec18.184512.28310@cs.UAlberta.CA> beck@cs.UAlberta.CA (Bob Beck) writes:

   I have been informed by mail that I am in error, and the GPL is not
   binding to the author. [...]

FSF people informed me, a little while ago, that mere assignation of a
Copyright to the Free Software Foundation or reference to the GPL in
source code is not sufficient to their eyes, for legalistic purposes.
They still need signed papers disclaiming Copyright interests, in the
favor of the FSF.  They play safe, and I think they are right in doing
so.  I am far from being a lawyer, however :-).

If you really need to know if a program is `free' as per the FSF
definition, I think the best thing to do is to write and ask them.
I'm curious to know in all the contents of prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu is
`free'.  I presume yes, but could someone from the FSF check this?
--
Franc,ois Pinard          ``Vivement GNU!''         pinard@iro.umontreal.ca
(514) 588-4656    cp 886 L'Epiphanie (Qc) J0K 1J0    ...!uunet!iros1!pinard

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<1990Dec16.104300.12930@pegasus.com> <1990Dec17.145953.15161@rodan.acs.syr.edu> <1990Dec17.200012.28085@cs.UAlberta.CA> <1990Dec18.184512.28310@cs.UAlberta.CA>

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From: pinard@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Francois Pinard)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: GNU GPL  (was Ghostscript: The bad news)
Message-ID: <PINARD.90Dec20141409@kovic.IRO.UMontreal.CA>
Date: 20 Dec 90 19:14:09 GMT
References: <1990Dec16.104300.12930@pegasus.com>
 <1990Dec17.145953.15161@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
 <1990Dec17.200012.28085@cs.UAlberta.CA>
 <1990Dec18.184512.28310@cs.UAlberta.CA>
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In-Reply-To: beck@cs.UAlberta.CA's message of 18 Dec 90 18:45:12 GMT

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