--- Joe Fish [email protected] wrote:
It doesn't seem plausible to me that I could be arrested on criminal charges and have my life savings taken away and spend most of the rest of my life in jail for humming a few songs I heard on the radio out in public, but that definitely IS plausible under current "IP" laws (though those provisions are obviously not enforced).
No it isn't plausible. RIAA and others would like you to believe this, but judges have repeatedly made it clear that fair use is Constitutionally protected. You're buying into FUD when you make statements like this.
This might be what the RIAA would like but it's not going to happen no one is ever going to get the constitution changed to allow it, and no judge is going to issue a ruling like this, and not have it overturned.
Now back to the issue with GPL 3 and coupons and distributing vs conveying. You're all looking at it wrong.
The MS coupons are the equivalent of a free TV, but the coupons ca only be obtained from one place, b y a contractual agreement in which money has changed hands. This is entirely different from me getting coupons from McDonald's and conveying them to hundreds. This is equivalent to me buying gift certificates from McDonald's and then distributing them to hundreds. This in effect makes me a conveyor of McDonald's meals. Now since these MS-Novell coupons give you the store bought version of SuSE with support, they have in effect bought these versions and are effectively giving them away by conveyance. This is to me a very logical legal argument to say that they are bound by terms of the GPL3.
Now back to the original topic. Chapter 11 isn't the death of SCO, they are simply using this to spend all tha money they have before chapter 7 is forced on them. It's really a very childish ploy. I can here Darl now "Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah!". I hop the BK Judge puts a quick stop to this and and causes all the conspiring parties to be properly prosecuted. They spent over $500,000 in retainer's fees for the BK lawyers, and started spending money like crazy just before they filed . I hope the judge really guves it to them. SCO is dead, and has been ever since IBM and Novell fought back. Which is why I'm left with this bad taste in my mouth about the bi-polar Novell (good one minute, bad the next).