Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1753336AbXFNPDX (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:03:23 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1751963AbXFNPDQ (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:03:16 -0400 Received: from pythagoras.zen.co.uk ([212.23.3.140]:57126 "EHLO pythagoras.zen.co.uk" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751974AbXFNPDP (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:03:15 -0400 Message-ID: <4671589F.60306@gmail.com> Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:02:55 +0100 From: Matt Keenan User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.12 (X11/20070604) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Michael Poole CC: Alexandre Oliva , Linus Torvalds , Lennart Sorensen , Greg KH , debian developer , "david@lang.hm" , Tarkan Erimer , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Andrew Morton , mingo@elte.hu Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3 References: <466BCBBC.90305@netone.net.tr> <20070610160531.GA12179@kroah.com> <20070612184110.GB7980@kroah.com> <20070613211432.GH10008@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> <4670F3C5.5090602@gmail.com> <87odji3hmv.fsf@graviton.dyn.troilus.org> In-Reply-To: <87odji3hmv.fsf@graviton.dyn.troilus.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Originating-Pythagoras-IP: [82.69.27.224] Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1686 Lines: 43 Michael Poole wrote: > Matt Keenan writes: > > >> Alexandre Oliva wrote: >> >>> Err, no. Software, per legal definitions in Brazil, US and elsewhere, >>> require some physical support. That's the hard disk in the TiVO DVR, >>> in this case. I don't see how this matters, though. >>> >>> >>> >> I'm now intrigued, where are these (Brazilian and US) definitions >> stipulated, and under what authority? >> > > In the US, 17 USC 101 (the "Definitions" section of the title dealing > with Copyright) makes this definition: > > A "computer program" is a set of statements or instructions to be > used directly or indirectly in a computer in order to bring about > a certain result. > > As its purpose is to outline the scope of copyright law, this > definition is made under the authority granted to Congress by Article > I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution. > > But where is the part that says it "requires some physical support"? It says what it is; "a set of statements or instructions", how it should be used; "to be used directly or indirectly in a computer", and what purpose it serves; "in order to bring about a certain result", but it doesn't seem to indicate that it "requires physical support" aka needing some physical representation. I suspect this argument boils down to the philosophical debate of whether ideas (in this case software) can be truely devoid of the physical. Matt - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/