Patch for the repaint issue in the collection dialog

[Alex Merry]

On Tuesday 31 March 2009 01:32:36 Jeff Mitchell wrote:
> >>> And adding your name doesn't create the licensing issue. Adding
> >>> copyrightable code gives you a copyright whether you list your name or
> >>> not.
>
> Does it?  This doesn't make much sense from the perspective of the rule
> of thumb we've always used, and which Seb stated:

Yes.  Copyright is inherent in the creation under international copyright law 
(some treaty or other I can't remember the name of).  What exactly constitutes 
copyrightable work, however, is a bit of a hazy area, and the courts are 
forever tweaking it.  And the yardstick is almost certainly different in 
different countries.

I believe the rule about whether work is copyrightable basically revolves 
around whether it involved any creativity.  A significant new algorithm is 
certainly copyrightable.  A set of stubs for an already-defined header 
probably isn't.  In between... well, people are paid a lot of money to argue 
about that.

The copyright tag at the top of files is informative.  Removing the line 
doesn't not remove a person's copyright claim on that work.  The lines are 
there so that people who want to (re-)license the work know who to contact.

As such, I would say always err on the side of adding copyright lines.  From a 
legal point of view, it's better to obtain the permission of someone who 
doesn't hold a copyright than not to obtain the permission of someone who does 
when relicensing a work.

Standard disclaimer: IANAL.  Just interested in such issues.  Do not take my 
word: if you care about this issue, research it yourself.

Alex



-- 
Why have I got six monitors?  Because I haven't got room for eight.
  -- Terry Pratchett

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