Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] BC2000 redux
From: Speaker to Vegetables (speaker-to-vegetables_AT_pobox.com)
Date: Fri Sep 14 2001 - 17:13:17 EEST
I'm afraid the "explanation" on the web site, for bc2000 being
"withdrawn", only raises questions about what is going on, without
providing any coherent or credible answers. It vaguely alludes to some
high-profile lawsuits of recent times but fails to even hint at any
connection between the issues of those cases (claims of patent or
copyright violations), and Broadcast 2000.
If the release of Broadcast 2000 under the GNU GPL (General Public
License) was valid, then the author has no legal right to prevent
others from continuing to distribute it, so long as those others obey
the terms of the GPL.
The author of bc2000 may believe that distributing this software
created some kind of legal liability on his part, but I don't. It seems
to me that any of us who use or would like to use "free" (in any sense)
software cannot afford to allow such an idea to stand unchallenged.
Even if you just sit there and do nothing, someone could always claim
(falsely) that you had done something that damaged them financially,
and sue you. If you then don't fight the suit, you could lose. IANAL,
but as I understand it, the true protection against frivolous lawsuits
is to countersue for filing a frivolous lawsuit. If the lawsuit is
really silly, a lawyer will be willing to take his/her pay out of your
winnings in the countersuit, so you don't necessarily need money to do
this.
-- "Even in America, justice can sometimes be made to prevail."
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