[cc-community] FSF question

Jim Baker frstprin at mninter.net
Sat Nov 24 19:29:52 EST 2007


I'm an educator with one little software application I'd like to  
distribute with a copyrighted lesson book. The software can be used  
independently. The idea driving the software is more than a freebie  
come-on: it's that it would be distributable to students without  
licensing encumbrances so that computer based activities begun in a  
classroom could be continued elsewhere at no charge. (The idea seems  
slow to catch on—teachers seem to like the idea of keeping the  
mathematics thought-stream under close supervision.)

I'm still not sure how to license the software. I've read the legally  
dense fsf site and have to say I'm still a little confused about how  
copyleft works and why bother to copyright something if you're going to  
give it away and recipients can do anything they want with it? There's  
also a file of practice games that was written for another app we  
previously used that is "called" by the software app to display within  
it. We don't know if that needs or could have a separate license.

I realize this doesn't seem to be the key issue here, but since there's  
a whiff of commercialism (sale of a lesson book that can be used with  
the software app) to my question, fsf wants to charge me $150.00 for a  
30 minute consultation to answer. If I had a successful commercial  
enterprise, I would probably happily pay! I don't. Writers here seem  
knowledgeable about these issues, so clarification would be  
appreciated.
	Jim

BTW: is there anything in my post that is relevant to CC community?

On Nov 23, 2007, at 6:00 PM, Mike Linksvayer wrote:

> On Fri, 2007-11-23 at 16:20 -0500, Gavin Baker wrote:
>> http://www.gavinbaker.com/2007/11/23/gfdl-revision-is-there-hope-for- 
>> cc-interoperability/
>>
>> The FSF, as part of the GPLv3 process, is updating the Free
>> Documentation License used by Wikipedia. See the link above for
>> information on commenting on the license draft.
>>
>> I hope we can come to a mutually-agreeable solution!
>
> Me too.  Nevermind CC, FDL/BY-SA (and why not Art Libre too)
> compatibility is critical if you believe copyleft has an important role
> to play in pulling more of the content universe into the free category,
> as it has in the software universe.  A copyleft license is really
> successful when people who don't care about the ideology of the license
> start adopting it because they pragmatically want to reuse stuff
> licensed under it.  Incompatible copyleft licenses delay and endanger
> the onset of this critical mass.
>
> By the way, there is a massive thread (one of many) on GFDL relicensing
> currently running on one of the Wikimedia Foundation's lists, see
> http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2007-November/ 
> thread.html#35178
>
> -- 
>  http://wiki.creativecommons.org/User:Mike_Linksvayer
>
>
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>
It takes 20 years of hard work to become an overnight success."
--Diana Rankin,
  writer and public speaker



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