Re: [ProgSoc] GPL

[Matt <matt@nospam.bluefishwireless.com>]

On Sun, May 06, 2001 at 10:47:24PM +1000, James Wan wrote:

>> When a contract, such as the GNU GPL, is widely used but is never
>> tested in a court and it does become tested what is the likely
>> outcome?

> The outcome of the case, will depend on the facts.  I doubt that a
> GNU GPL contract dispute would result in a court battle, more likely
> it will be settled out of court, since court costs and lawyers fees
> would be a factor in not letting the court's decide.  And I doubt
> that a company, eg: Microsoft, who were defendant's in a GNU GPL
> case would like the bad publicity being involved in a case like
> this, because GNU, lead by Richard Stallman, (a Marxist in disguise)
> would use the media to promote social change via technical means.

RMS isn't a marxist dude, he is a libertarian. he is neither left nor
right. and if you had ever talked to the guy at any reasonable length
you would realise.

i also suspect that RMS has had a much better run at effecting social
change than MSFT has..

but as for court challenges there have been none despite the fact that
quite a few parties have been on the receiving end of a cease and
desist from the FSF.

	matt
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